Every year, millions of people pick up a rake or leaf blower and begin the mind-numbing task of collecting the fall leaves. What seems like such a mundane task, something so seemingly unimportant, except to preserve the look of a lawn, is quite complex.
In nature, there are a few purposes for leaves. Firstly, the layer of debris on the ground acts as a small habitat for beetles, worms, and other small bugs and animals. It also helps fertilize grass as it decomposes, giving it the nutrients it needs to grow next spring.
Leaves are also a natural barrier to weeds. As they fall at the roots of plants like grass and shrubs, they block the sun from weeds that would otherwise take over the forest, or in this case, your yard (USA). While this is all very beneficial, raking leaves can’t do much harm, right?
Well, they can. To start with, not only does raking up the leaves and putting them in bags for the trash keep them from helping your yard in all the ways I just talked about, it also contributes to climate change. The reason is because as leaves start to decompose in the landfills, they form methane, a greenhouse gas (USA). It is also harmful because yard cuttings like leaves and grass account for 8.7 million tons of trash in landfills. Just about 6% of all trash (CBF).
Ok so you have been reading along and have decided you want to stop raking your leaves, but maybe that annoys your neighbors, or you don’t like the look, what should you do? Well, mowing the leaves is a great option. Not only does it make them less noticeable, but it still lets light through to the grass while keeping the light from the weeds. It also keeps the soil moist, which is good for plants (CBF).
You could also rake the leaves into a flower bed, since with the weather getting cooler your plants are probably dying, or you could rake them into one big pile. In both these scenarios, the leaves are still given a chance to decompose properly, but are not in the way (USA).
If you have to rake leaves due to an HOA, check to see if you have somewhere you can compost them. Some places will even trade you mulch in return.
I hope you learned something today, I know I did. It’s interesting to think that we take something so natural and think it looks messy and needs to be cleaned. Thank you for reading, and whether you decide to rake them into a pile, bag them up, mow them, or compost them, I hope you have a great holiday season!
Works Cited:
(CBF) Chesapeake Bay Foundation, “Raking Leaves? Drop the Rake and Stop What You’re Doing”
(USA) USA Today, “You probably don’t need to rake your leaves this fall, experts say. Here’s why.”