The Illinois Farm Bureau site Partners has a new post up, on the advantages of dealing with leaves by mulching-in-place. The full item is here. Samples of its recommendations:

Your trees put all that energy into producing leaves – useful organic matter. Shouldn’t your property benefit? You can find better uses for fallen leaves than transporting them to municipal landfills, or worse, burning them. Think about it, a no-rake autumn.

Jump on your mower and mow those leaves in place on your lawn.... Set the mower at 3 inches, and mow weekly during fall leaf season whether the grass needs it or not. Leaves seem to shred more easily when a little damp, so mow in the morning after a light dew....

Want to start a new shade garden? Direct the shredded leaves blowing out of the mower under the tree’s canopy. It creates a bed rich in organic matter, while also protecting the tree’s roots from temperature extremes and moisture loss. The leaves decompose over time, mimicking what happens in the forest. The tree self-fertilizes, freeing you from both raking and fertilizing....

Don’t throw away a valuable resource with your trash. Instead, use it to improve your landscape, save money and cut down on garden chores.