Saturday, Oct 5

Dear Dot,

I always wrestle with this fall question: Should I rake when I'm tired of the clutter on the lawn, or should I wait until all the leaves have fallen? Is there any benefit to leaving the fallen leaves in place for a while?

–James

Dear James,

Put down that rake, my friend. For far too long, living an eco-life has been equated with more work, more expense, more effort. That, of course, is a total misconception, but it’s a stubborn one. Your question brings about a perfect example of how choosing to live more lightly on Mother Earth also lightens our workload.

Part of the challenge of shifting to an eco-friendlier lifestyle is casting aside our ideas of tidiness. A neat lawn is too often an unhealthy one. By leaving leaves on the ground, you’re essentially putting out a buffet of nutrients — primarily carbon, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus — that nourish your grass and plants, and feed the worms that enrich your soil. You can expedite that nutrient handover by mulching your leaves with a mower (consider a manual or an electric one, for more eco-cred). If, like Dot, you have a veritable forest in your yard, with lots of leaves falling through the season, you might want to mow in stages. And then, if rake you must, move some of those mulched leaves onto your garden beds, where they will act as a blanket for your plants and offer a cozy home for many beneficial overwintering bugs, such as butterfly larva. You can pile leaves up to four inches deep, but leave space around plant stems to avoid rot. …

Dot has more leafy advice. Read on.