I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed the shocks of red leaves popping out amongst their green brethren -- the early adopters of Fall 2008, perhaps?
So while you unpack those sweaters and boots and contemplate the end of mowing and the start of shoveling, remember: there are good ways to deal with leaves in your yard and of course, there are bad.
The bad: Raking leaves into plastic bags and leaving them for the regular garbage pick up.
Talk about breaking the circle of life -- those leaves are destined to break down and enrich the very soil from whence they grew. What did they ever do to you that you would remove them from their destiny so cruelly?
(Even uglier: using a blower before bagging.)
The good: Well, this is easy; there are several ways to sustainably handle leaves.
You can mow the lawn without a bag and leave the shredded leaves to decay over the winter into your grass.
You can rake them onto flower beds and gardens. Same thing: the leaves will provide a natural compost for your plants over the winter and into spring.
If you simply must rid your yard of its leaves, bag them in compost bags found at most hardware stores and find out when your city picks up yard waste. Most municipalities have compost facilities, many of which allow residents to make use of the resultant compost matter.
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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