Turning over a new leaf: The good and bad

“A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere.” (From“TheLegendofSleepy Hollow,” by Washington Irving) Have you dusted off your rake yet? Are you finding it a challenge to believe that autumn is really here? With warm weather hanging on, and bees still gathering nectar from the flowers still in bloom on the patio, I have to remind myself that the average first frost date is barely two weeks away. Like the legendary inhabitants of Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow, it’s easy for me to get lulled into the false sense that these Tshirt days will go on for far longer than they actually will. This shows up for the most part in my thinking that I have plenty of time to finish my outdoor fall chores and to be ready for the inevitable leafdrop. But the trees are finally showing their fall colors, and it’s only a few weeks before raking season begins. While we’re still in that waiting period, here are some tips for what to do with all those leaves when they finally do come down.

The first instinct may be to simply rake them all up, stuff them in those big, brown-paper leaf bags, and put them out at the curb. That’s certainly an option, and a good one if your township has a leaf-composting program. But there are other possibilities that lie in between raking and bagging. And they all start with the fact that leaves are not trash. Rather, they’re valuable (free!) nutrition for your yard and plants, and can be turned into a great mulch.

Several years ago, I noticed a headline in USA Today online. The headline proclaimed, “Don’t rake your leaves, scientists say.” Hopefully, people actually read the article before not taking any action, because it’s definitely important to clear leaves. A heavy layer of leaves can smother existing grass, blocking water, nutrients, and air flow. We’ve probably all had the experience of coming across a patch we missed; underneath the leaves, there’s bare soil. When allowed to spend the winter on a lawn, leaves mat down and prevent new grass from growing up in the spring.

What the “don’t rake” recommendation actually meant – and which was embedded further into the article – was to use a mulching mower to shred fallen leaves into small bits. The bits can then filter down between the blades of grass, where they will decompose and return nutrients to the soil. Free fertilizer! Of course, this works, depending on the amount of leaves you have. For instance, neighbors of mine have so many oak trees clustered around their house it looks like they live in the woods. Even if they shredded the leaves, what grass they have would be buried.

You don’t need a mulching mower to make good use of your leaves; there are other things you can do instead of sending off your leaves to a township yard or a landfill. If you have the space, you can simply heap up fallen leaves into big piles. In a relatively short time, a giant stack of leaves will end up decomposing into a thin layer of nutrient-rich “leaf mold.” You can harvest this and use it in your garden.

Shredded-up leaves are great in garden beds and in the vegetable garden. It’s always helpful to have a good quantity of old leaves to add to your compost. Fallen leaves provide the “brown” material your compost needs in combination with the “greens.” Browns are needed in a ratio of two to one to greens, and it’s helpful to have them on hand when you need them. Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail. com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Share your gardening stories on Facebook at “Chester County Roots.” Pam’s book for children and families: Big Life Lessons from Nature’s Little Secrets is available on Amazon, along with her new companion field journal, Explore Outdoors, at Amazon.com/ author/pamelabaxter.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Leaves are a great natural source of nutrients for your lawn. Mow them into bits with your mulching mower and save your back from all that raking.