Skip the Rake for a Healthier Yard

Nature’s autumn bounty of fallen leaves isn’t usually a problem for lawns and gardens, and mulching the ground with them actually helps to feed the soil for a healthier yard.

Fallen leaves, as an additional physical layer of organic materials above ground, provide food, shelter, and nesting or bedding materials to a variety of wildlife, as well as overwintering protection for a number of insects, all of which work together to contribute to a healthy yard.

The soil itself is also a beneficiary of this autumnal gift of fallen leaves, as the leaves are essentially composted over time into nutrients that feed both the next year’s ‘crop’ of grass, but which also feed a vast number of microbes in the soil, which are actually the most important ‘crop’ you can grow, considering that all plant life in your yard depends on a healthy soil biology.

Read more at TreeHugger. Image: Oregon DOT