Leaves, A Gardener’s Gold

Figuring out what to do with all the fallen leaves used to be a snap….fill a trash bag and set it out on the curb for the trash pickup.  No more! Landfills are filling up and valuable organic matter is going to waste.  It’s time to rethink our options for dealing with the fall litter, either spent flowers from the borders or leaves falling from the summer shade tree.

Composting is a great way to handle flowerbed left overs.  Compost can then be used in next spring’s veggie garden and flowerbeds.  But not everyone is going to build and maintain a mountain of organic trash while it cooks down to a useable product.  If you do not compost, you can mow leaves with a mulching mower, and let shredded leaves filter down into the lawn.  This method is best when you mow often enough that leaf litter doesn’t become too thick.  Mow while you can still see turf peeking through the leaves. 

Cherry Tree in Shirley's yard

Research at Michigan State University found no long-term adverse affects on turf when shredding up to one pound of leaves each fall for five consecutive years.  In addtion to mulching with leaves, it still makes good sense to be on a fall nitrogen program and core-aerate in the fall.  If it is a warm season turf, this mulching management is still useful but wait to fertilize and core-aerate in late May or early June.

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