Leave the Leaves
Why Leaving the Leaves is Better for your Garden
We hear “leave the leaves” a lot in the fall, but many people worry: will it look messy? I used to think that, too. But the benefits of leaving leaves in the garden are incredible, and a healthy garden needs fallen leaves for a variety of reasons. So let’s jump into this eco-friendly gardening practice, and I will show you that what you might see as a mess now, is really an incredible tool for a thriving garden.
The Benefits of Leaving Leaves in the Garden
One of the most commonly asked questions about leaving leaves is aesthetic: will it make my garden look messy? I answer this way: once you retrain your eyes to see WHAT the leaves are doing and the BENEFITS, it doesn’t look messy. It looks productive. So take a peek into my garden on a day in early December to see what a productive garden looks like, and how I am using the leaves in my garden.
FAQs
How does wildlife benefit from leaves in the garden?
So first, let’s be clear — wildlife includes insects, birds, small mammals, amphibians, microbes, reptiles — the whole gamut of creatures with whom we share the earth. And these animals have evolved to depend on the leaves of trees for a range of activities. Fallen leaves provide habitat and shelter for small mammals and amphibians, for example, but those leaves may also hold the eggs or pupae of insects overwintering until spring. And birds depend on those pupae and insects in the spring and summer to feed their clutches of chicks. Earthworms eat many of the fallen leaves on the ground over time and are part of a complex cycle of decomposition that includes nourishing fungi which then in turn helps trees take in nutrition from the soil.
So when fallen leaves are removed from the environment — through raking or leafblowing and bagging — a critical part of the environment disappears. And the creatures who depend upon those leaves suffer or perish.
The players in this circle vary from place to place, but the basic concept is the same: insect, invertebrate, and small animal life depends on leaf litter in our gardens, and when we remove that, we negatively impact local wildlife populations.
What are the benefits of leaving leaves in the garden?
Having a thriving ecosystem means having a thriving garden. Not only does the wildlife benefit, but your plants do as well. Leaf litter provides great layers of insulation for perennial plants. It can be mounded around the base of roses and other shrubs for protection from heavy snows and cold. A thick layer of leaves will prevent the germination of weed seeds over the winter and in the spring. Additionally, when earthworms and other subterranean life eat leaf litter, their activity loosens compacted soils and adds nourishment to soil, too.
How do leaves improve the soil and soil health?
In an untouched woodland setting, deciduous leaves fall and stay as part of the natural life cycle of the woodland. The leaves suppress weeds and other growth around a tree ensuring that trees don’t have as much competition for nutrients and water. They also form a layer which helps prevent rapid evaporation and can help soil to retain moisture over the winter months — something that’s particularly important in arid climates like here in Colorado. Additionally, the activity of earthworms, microbes, and other creatures that live within the soil can bring the nutrients and carbon from the leaves into the soil making them available in other forms to surrounding trees and other plants. Ultimately, leaving the leaves to decompose can help sequester carbon, too.
What do you do with the leaves in the spring?
That varies place to place:
In Garden Beds: They can sometimes form a bit of a mat over the soil which can help with weed suppression, especially in the spring. And if covered with a good layer of compost in the spring, they are generally well-incorporated into the soil by the end of summer.
In grassy areas: I blow them off into surrounding beds during the fall. Then any that remain on the grass in the spring get chopped by the lawnmower at the first spring mowing.
In the Wildlife Garden: I just leave them. They help with weed suppression, and by mid-summer the plants have filled in over and around them, so they decompose naturally. If I am sprinkling seeds, I will move the leaves aside so the seeds can make contact with the soil.
In the Vegetable Garden: I cover my garlic with a thick layer of leaves and burlap in the fall when I plant it. Then I remove that in the spring. Depending on how the leaves look, I will either cover the leaves with a few inches of compost and carry on. Or I’ll add those leaves to my leaf mould bags and let them turn into leaf mould over time.
How long have you been leaving the leaves?
In one way or another I have been doing this for decades. We had a huge 200 year old oak tree in California, and that was the first place where I learned about the importance of leaving leaves in situ. In the fall we raked them off the grassy areas and into the surrounding beds. They would break down over the winter (very mild, quite wet so a great climate for decomposition year round). And by spring, they were generally nearly gone. I’m not sure I have ever bagged leaves in my entire adult life, actually!
How do you use the leaves in your garden?
Aside from all of the other ways I have already discussed — to benefit wildlife, to improve soil health, for water retention, for soil health — I also use leaves to make leaf mould, a fabulous ingredient in potting mixes that helps to keep soil loose and airy which is great for roots and plant growth.
Additionally, I use a thick layer of leaves covered by a plastic tarp to protect my dahlia beds allowing me to leave my dahlia tubers in the ground all winter rather than digging them up. Those leave eventually become leaf mould, too.
To learn more about leaf mould, click here.
Make fall gardening a little easier.
Leaving the leaves has multitudinous benefits. It’s better for your local wildlife and ecosystem. It reduces methane emissions from landfills. Those leaves improve your soil health and protect your plants. It’s a natural garden mulch and a weed suppressant. The list goes on and on!
But leaving the leaves is also easier for YOU. Gardening without raking leaves can be easier on your body and your back — and gives you a bit more time to enjoy the beauty of autumn. So when you see leaves in a garden, just think of all the work they are doing to make the world a better place — and enjoy a cup of tea in the fall sunshine. Happy Gardening!