Getting Rid of Leaves

Photo by:  Mexicanwave

The daylight is getting shorter.  The weather is growing colder.  The leaves are turning vibrant colors.  Autumn has arrived and with it the annual chore of cleaning up all those fallen leaves.

Surprisingly, one of the best ways to get rid of those leaves in your yard is also the easiest.  Mulch them.  Mulching leaves is simply taking your lawn mower (with the grass catcher removed) and continually mowing over your leaves until they are chopped into small pieces.  According to Scotts, the mulching process is complete when a half an inch of grass blade is visible through the mulched leaf layer.  Once the leaf layer settles in, microbes and worms start recycling the organic matter and over the winter nutrients are added to your yard that will improve your soil structure for next spring.

If your yard has more leaves than can be mulched, then it’s time to break out the rakes and bags.  Leaves that are bagged can be turned over to your municipal yard waste collectors.  Every municipality has their own guidelines, so check out Earth911 to find out how the collection is done in your area.   For a more eco-friendly alternative when it comes to bag selection, Plenty Magazine recommends Seventh Generation trash bags, made from recycled materials, or EcoProducts biodegradable lawn and leaf bags made from corn.