At our dacha, my brother always rakes the leaves into a big pile by the fence and leaves them until spring - he says beneficial beetles spend the winter there. And I collect some of it and throw it into compost, especially from apple trees. What are you doing with them?
I also have apple trees on my plot, so I always throw their leaves into the compost - they rot well and there is no smell. And what is made of birch and maple, I just rake it under the currant bushes, let it lie as mulch. Halyna's brother is probably right about beetles, but my neighbors complain that mice crawl out of such a pile.
