But most leaves break down over winter and only need to be cultivated into the soil below come Spring. If not incorporated into the soil, they can be a fire hazard when the surface leaves dry out next summer. If the leaf drop is too heavy and you have lawn or perennials beneath the trees or shrubs, the leaves should be raked up and composted in another location. If you only have a small amount of leaves, you can compost them in a heavy plastic trash bag with a little soil and fertilizer added. The soil contains organisms that break down the leaves and fertilizer speeds the process.
Manure is a good, non-chemical fertilizer.
Use cottonseed meal if you intend to use the compost in your vegetable garden. Leave the bag in an inconspicuous place and turn it d every week or so to mix it up. Make sure the contents are moist, but not wet. It should be ready to spread around in your garden by Spring. The simplest bins can be made of cylinders of heavy wire.