Horticulture Article
What do I do with the leaves?
by Laetitia Won
Ah, the sweet-smelling cool Autumn days when trees rain an abundance of wealth onto our yards. Yes, wealth!
Tree leaves hold a huge amount of minerals that you can harvest into your garden in different ways:
1 - Rake them around your trees. This litter will provide a “soft landing” for all the caterpillars that drop from the branches and form their cocoons in the leaves. Avoid shredding the leaves or you’ll be shredding the cocoons too!
This litter also provides insulation for ground-nesting insects, and feeds all the life forms in the soil, which in turn feed the trees. Win-win-win!
2 - Mow them along with your lawn and use that as mulch on all your beds.
(I know, I said don’t shred them, but managing our gardens sometimes requires a bit of destruction. Just don’t shred all of them.)
3 - Add them to your compost pile. They are a perfect “brown material”, that precious source of carbon that balances the Nitrogen-rich green stuff.
See more ideas here: Almanac tips for Fall leaves
If you just have way too much to deal with, call our garden club members! I, for one, would be happy to take them off your hands.
Also remember to thoroughly water your trees (but don’t fertilize) before Winter.
Happy Autumn!
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