Tate said:
I leave leaves everywhere except near the house to avoid attracting mice or bugs. It’s great for the garden.
Depends on your location and leaf type. Mulching leaves works better for some places, like Maine, but might not be ideal in Georgia.
I leave leaves on my lawn, but they usually blow into the shrubs. My grass grows thicker and greener in spring thanks to the leaves breaking down.
I try to mulch leaves first, but leaving them is great for garden soil.
Paxton said:
I try to mulch leaves first, but leaving them is great for garden soil.
I’d do that too if I had a mulcher to spread them around evenly.
Perrin said:
Since I stopped mulching leaves a few years ago, fireflies have been showing up more and more in my yard.
I haven’t seen fireflies in my yard in years, sadly.
Perrin said:
Since I stopped mulching leaves a few years ago, fireflies have been showing up more and more in my yard.
I haven’t seen fireflies in my yard in years, sadly.
If you leave the habitat, they’ll eventually come back. Life finds a way when the environment is right.
I leave leaves in the garden and on the lawn every year. Then I mow them in spring when the grass starts growing.
Presley said:
I leave leaves in the garden and on the lawn every year. Then I mow them in spring when the grass starts growing.
I used to work on golf courses and learned a lot about turf health. Grass needs light and airflow, so I can’t leave leaves on my lawn for too long.
@Zane
Fair enough. If you’re aiming for a perfect lawn, it’s harder to balance ecological benefits.
Finnian said:
I wish I could keep leaves in my yard, but the wind blows them all away. I’d love to grow beneficial fungi with leaf mold.
Maybe you could set up a small pen to collect them? I saw a video on this recently: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KSh4ltwMRJk
Zenith said:
We mow and mulch leaves into the lawn and leave the rest as-is for mulch. Works great for us.
I love mulching leaves into the lawn too. Sometimes they don’t fully break down without enough snow, but a spring rake takes care of it.
This thread was really informative. Thanks for sharing!
I’m too lazy to rake leaves, but it’s nice knowing the worms and bugs benefit from my laziness!
I leave some leaves but clean others out.
I actually pick up leaves from other yards for mulch and compost. Great way to stock up on browns!
All our garden beds are covered with leaves. It drives my husband crazy, but it’s great for the soil and insects.
I leave a lot of extra plant matter on my lawn. Makes it lush and green while everything else is brown!
I’ve been moving leaves to my backyard to help improve the soil. It’s all hard clay right now, but I’m hoping in a few years it’ll turn into decent soil.
I use shredded cedar mulch in pathways, so the locust leaves disappear into it. Maple leaves get mulched into the lawn. I hate raking!
Yes, I do this too.