By BetsyWashington

Vast piles of leaves are hauled to our streets to await an army of county trucks that haul them away, all amid clouds of dust and exhaust fumes. Ironically, next spring we will rush to garden centers and county recycling and waste centers and buy bags of prepackaged fertilizers or soil amendments and truckloads of mulch, to be spread by expensive lawn crews and laborers. Whew! It makes me feel tired and poor just thinking about it!

But wait! Isn’t there a simpler and better way? By leaving fallen leaves to decompose in our gardens, we are mimicking the natural processes that have sustained life on earth for millions of years. Through the process of decomposition, thousands of beneficial soil borne microorganisms began the process of breaking down all those leaves and turning them into rich, dark humus – nature’s own fertilizer. With annual additions of decomposing leaves each fall, even the heaviest clay soils became rich and moisture retentive, teeming with life. The naturally amended soil acted like a sponge, holding a wealth of water and nutrients readily available to plants. Plants living in soils rich in leaf mold are healthier and live longer. And no wonder – scientists have discovered that soils rich in organic matter, contain a broad array of natural antibiotic and fungicidal compounds that prevent a host of plant diseases and pests.

It’s no wonder that plants in our undisturbed forests and natural areas live for hundreds and even thousands of years, with few outbreaks of serious diseases or pests. Compare this to the life expectancy of trees in our own gardens, which are measured in decades, not centuries.

So this fall, why don’t you follow nature’s example? Leave your leaves as a natural mulch under trees and shrubs. If nature’s bounty of leaves threatens to completely engulf you lawn, give nature a hand, and try running your lawn mower back and forth over the leaves, breaking them into small pieces. Simply leave these small pieces in the lawn and reduce your fertilizing needs by over 50%, or use a mulching or bagging attachment on your lawnmower, and collect this fine mulch to spread around your trees and shrubs. A weekly mowing of leaves, will take care of most of your leaf surplus, and save energy and money by avoiding the backbreaking bagging and hauling of leaves to our landfills and waste centers. Consider starting a compost pile. This can be as easy as creating a large pile of leaves in an out of the way place. Nature will take care of the rest – in a year or two you will have your own supply of rich, crumbly leaf mold.

You can hasten the process by chopping the leaves first with your lawnmower or shredder, and by layering green material such as leafy food wastes, grass clippings, or alphalfa meal between layers of leaves and turning the pile once or twice. Either way, your garden will be far healthier and will shrug off droughts and climbing temperatures without the need for extra watering, and your soils will be naturally rich with little if any need for extra fertilizers that risk the health of our lake.

And you will save money and help in greening the planet, all by following nature’s example. Sustainable indeed! Before the days of pre-packaged amendments and fertilizers, leaves were left where they fell as a natural mulch and soil amendment. Leaves were raked under trees and shrubs to decompose and enrich the soil.

For more on the benefits of leaving your leaves, check out: www.finegardening.com or http://fairfieldweekly.com

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