Put Those Fall Leaves to Work
Put Those Fall Leaves to Work
Every autumn, perfectly useful garden material falls out of the trees—and many of us spend a weekend bagging it and hauling it to the curb. This year, consider keeping at least some of those leaves at home.
Leaves can help cover bare soil, conserve moisture and gradually break down into organic matter. In a climate where summer sun bakes exposed ground and North Texas clay can be hard to manage, a protective layer over the soil is worth having.
The easiest approach is to rake some leaves into a garden bed or beneath shrubs. Whole leaves can provide shelter for beneficial insects and other small creatures through winter. A layer a couple of inches deep is a useful starting point; keep leaves away from trunks and plant crowns, and make sure they are not smothering small plants.
You may also choose to shred a portion of the leaves for a finer mulch or a compost pile. Shredded leaves settle more readily, but mowing or shredding them can harm insects and eggs already sheltering in them. A good compromise is to leave some whole in a quiet corner or under shrubs and use the rest where a finer mulch is helpful.
Try not to leave a thick, wet blanket of leaves on the lawn for an extended period. Move excess leaves to beds, compost them, or save them in a contained pile for later. If you collect leaves from another property, ask whether the lawn or leaves were recently treated with herbicides, and follow the product’s directions before using them in a vegetable garden or compost.
Composting is another option. Mix leaves with suitable green material, such as untreated grass clippings and fruit and vegetable scraps, and keep the pile about as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Turn it occasionally if you want to speed the process. A pile left alone will also break down, although it may take longer.
Set aside a container of dry leaves for later; they make a handy addition when your compost pile has too many damp kitchen scraps.
You don’t need to keep every leaf or give up a tidy yard. Even one bed, one compost bin, or one quiet corner can turn a fall cleanup chore into an investment in the garden.
Do you save your leaves, compost them, or send them to the curb? Tell us what works in your yard.
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Gardening Garland •
Every autumn, perfectly useful