![]() ![]() Still too many leaves? Share them with neighbors, friends, schools and others.You’ll have nutrient-rich compost to add to your garden next spring. Make compost: Combine fallen leaves (“brown material”) with grass clippings and other “green material” and keep moist and well mixed.Let leaf piles decompose the resulting leaf mold can be used as a soil amendment to improve structure and water retention. ![]() ![]() For finer-textured mulch, shred them first. Rake leaves off the lawn to use as mulch in garden beds.They won't hurt your lawn if you chop them with a mulching mower. What should you do with all those fallen leaves you're not sending to the landfill? Here are some tips: Need one more reason to leave the leaves? “The less time you spend raking leaves,” Mizejewski says, “the more time you’ll have to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather and the wildlife that visits your garden.” Many moth and butterfly caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves before emerging in spring. Critters ranging from turtles and toads to birds, mammals and invertebrates rely on leaf litter for food, shelter and nesting material. Removing leaves also eliminates vital wildlife habitat. Why spend money on mulch and fertilizer when you can make your own?” “Leaves form a natural mulch that helps suppress weeds and fertilizes the soil as it breaks down. “Fallen leaves offer a double benefit,” Mizejewski says. source of man-made methane-and that’s aside from the carbon dioxide generated by gas-powered blowers and trucks used in leaf disposal.įor gardeners, turning leaves into solid waste is wasteful. In fact, solid-waste landfills are the largest U.S. Without enough oxygen to decompose, this organic matter releases the greenhouse gas methane, says Joe Lamp’l, author of The Green Gardener’s Guide. Environmental Protection Agency, leaves and other yard debris account for more than 13 percent of the nation’s solid waste-a whopping 33 million tons a year. The alternative? “Let fallen leaves stay on your property,” says National Wildlife Federation Naturalist David Mizejewski. Yet, increasingly, conservationists say these actions not only harm the environment but rob your garden of nutrients while destroying wildlife habitat. Traditionally, leaf removal has entailed three steps: Rake leaves (or blast them with a blower) into piles, transfer the piles to bags and place the bags out to be hauled off to a landfill. IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN: The air turns crisp, the leaves turn red and gold and homeowners turn to the annual chore known as “fall garden cleanup”-including disposal of those leaves after they fall to the ground. The marbled salamander (above) and eastern box turtle (below) are among many bird, mammal, reptile, invertebrate and other species that rely on leaf litter for food and shelter. Savvy gardeners know that keeping fallen leaves on their property benefits wildlife and the environment ![]()
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