I've been known to treat leaf fall as natural mulch; the stuff that makes it into the flower beds gets to stay, but the stuff on the grass (a dwindling area in our yard, by design) or the rock areas or the driveway gets raked up.
The front yard will have a lot fewer leaves this year, due to the sketchy health of Old Tree Trunk (the giant cottonwood between our and our neighbor's driveway).
I've been doing a lot of mulching of the barren areas of the yard, post-kitchen-construction (48 cu. ft. and counting). Leaves will help both the effort and the appearance.
Originally shared by +Les Jenkins:
That is, assuming you don't live someplace where raking the leaves mandatory by local ordinance.
3 reasons why you should stop raking leaves this fall and never look back.
Fall leaves aren’t just pretty. They form their own “mini-ecosystem.”
I wait for the leaves to fall, then mow without a bag one last time. My lawn seems just fine for it. By spring, there is no sign of leaf fragments.
+Al Hunt Not a bad idea, that.
Might think about tilling mulched leaves into the garden this weekend.
Depends on the tree and the plants underneath. Oak tree leaves are highly acidic and can acidify your soil if mulched in. That's fine if you're growing acid-loving plants, but not so good for other plants.
+David Newman Intresting. I guess I've lucked out. Just generic trees to my trained eye 😉 But I've been doing it for years.