All Those Leaves

No matter how good a job you’ve done raking or blowing, the recent rain and wind will have more on the ground. Following are a few random thoughts on dealing with them:

Did you ever notice all growth and undergrowth on the undeveloped property? No one removes the leaves from that soil. Leaves are one of nature’s original recycling strategies. They also encourage the decomposers (insects, bacteria, fungi) that will incorporate them into the soil as compost. Leaves are great for improving the tilth of your soil.

Leave them in a big pile and they turn into humus. No big strategy needed. (Thick leaves such as magnolia and some oaks will be a bit slower to decay.) You can apply the humus wherever you desire. Some residents simply move the leaves into their vegetable gardens. No further tilling needed. Note that any mulch like this can slow your soil warming in the spring. So you may need to make adjustments about planting time. You can also use them to mulch flowers and shrubs. If they are not pretty enough for you, then top-dress with the pretty stuff. It will look just as good and you'll need less of the pretty stuff.

How do you move all those leaves? If they are on your lawn they may inhibit growth. Accumulating on shrubs they may be unattractive. Rakes and blowers seem to be the preferred implements. Depending on the situation, you may be able to chop them with a mower and leave them in place. They fall down in the grass and break down more quickly.

If you’re raking or blowing, wait a couple of days for them to dry. Dry means less weight means less work. People use a lot of specialized strategies. I’ve always tended to use a throwing motion with the rake to keep the leaves spread out ahead of me. With the blower, I move them as far ahead as possible to avoid the pile. Neither rake nor blower is good at moving leaves once they get in a pile. So I keep them spread until I decide this is where I want the pile to be or I can’t keep them moving any more.

Then I have a round up. All the way around, rake or blow them into a pile, and move on.

Moving the pile may depend on available containers and/or help. A large sheet or tarp can hold more than one person can move. But two people can haul a lot of leaves that way. If you’re only one person, lay a large container (garbage can, box) on the ground and rake them in. Take them to your composting area and dump. Large leaves may blow around. You may want to use some type of crude fence or net to keep them in place.

You can employ all the mixing and turning you want. But give them enough time and humus will happen.

Enjoy the work, then take a break. The leaves aren’t going anywhere on their own. You can do some more tomorrow.