Leave the Leaves

As soon as I moved into my beloved bungalow in South Jersey, I began to reearch ways to avoid having to rake for days and weeks each year. I LOVE my trees, and I have a couple dozen of them. Finally, I bought a great Leaf Mulching mower that lasted for about 3 decades. When it finally went, I was unable to get another one, but by then I was too old for yard work anymore anyhow. My Knees, hip, and back didn't permit it. So I lurched into the dark world of lnadscape guys, which by the way is a misnomer because NONE of the ones I hired were landscapers and some didn't know a English Ivy from a periwinkle. They were mowers, and most were welded to the seats of their tractors, so I couldn't get them to weed whack or do any trimming or anything that required getting off the tractor seat. Finally I found a more or less cooperative young fellow recommended by a neighbor and we have been working together fairly cooperatively, but generally, at some point each year, I hire my sister who actually is a CERTIFIED LANDSCAPER and she helps with trimming the trees and shrubs.

Anyhow to get back to the leaves, I have an excerpt for you from a bulletin I receive via e-mail about TREES:

FALLEN AUTUMN LEAVES HAVE ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS

As the temperatures cool, the leaves of deciduous trees transform into the beautiful oranges, yellows, reds, purples, and browns of autumn, blending together a new world of colors.

It truly is a sight to behold, but eventually, those leaves fall to the ground and crunch beneath our steps. During this season, many people decide to rake piles of leaves and discard them. Perhaps they rake in a pile to jump in for some classic fall fun, but eventually, those leaves are removed from yards and sidewalks.

Turns out, all that endless raking doesn’t have the best ecological benefits! This year, try leaving (no pun intended!) all that fall foliage on the ground. Not only do fallen leaves provide food and shelter for larvae and other organisms, but they also provide many essential nutrients as they decompose.

These decomposed (or even partially decomposed) leaves help to improve the soil structure, loosening heavy clays by adding essential draining properties. In sandy soils, they increase water retention by improving water-holding capacity.

For all of the gardeners out there, the organic matter of fall leaves also helps to improve soil fertility by providing important nutrients that will benefit plants and crops in your garden. So, save yourself from raking all season long and rest assured that you’re doing what’s best for your garden and the environment!

Happpy Trails Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com