We never rake leaves, but people in town seem to do so obsessively. Rake, bag, vacume, blow, shred, haul...where do they find the time? We don't rake ours and they seem to have no bad effect on the lawn. Is it just the look of leaves everywhere that people object to, or is there really some detrimental effect to the lawn? 'Course, I appreciate all their hard work...makes it easier for me to collect the bagged goods to use on the garden!

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), October 29, 2001

Answers

depends on the leaves,, oak leaves will kill a lawn, in a year if they arent raked. I just went into town today,, and got 3 loads of poplar and maple leave for my garden.

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), October 29, 2001.

You know, I've wondered what the problem with city people and leaves is too! The leaves fall, over winter they rot and come spring they're gone! We don't rake. Heck, what a waste of time!

-- Ardie/WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), October 29, 2001.

I think it is more a case of in the country our leaves just blow away or decompose. They lay around trees and bushes, and do not look that out of place. In the city, they blow into the neighbors yard or gunk up your fenceline. :o) I do not really know why, but we tried to keep a sharp lawn in town when we rented there. You notice the neighbor mowing and then want to go mow yourself because it looks good. Then there is the other end of the deal. If you do not take care of your place you can get a ticket. I am not sure about the leaves, but if you leave your yard the city will mow it and charge you $300 or more. If you do not trim your trees to allow a certain clearance over the sidewalks... the same.

-- notnow (notnow05@yahoo.com), October 29, 2001.

I beg to differ with Stan. I have not known oak leaves to destroy a lawn, but then I am in the country where the wind blows where it may.

We don't rake. I suppose if the grass gets high we will mow again and therefore mulch what lays there. But really, we don't care. We take others' donated leaves and mulch our garden plots mixed with decomposed chips and chicken poop. We have had no trouble with areas we have only used oak leaves on.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), October 29, 2001.

The big problem in the city is that they blow out of the trees/yard into the gutter and block the storm drains when they get soaked with water in a rainstorm. That is why you see cities offer coupons for leaf disposal.

We have to get ours off the brick patio because when wet they are very slimy and slippery, and also off the deck--our dog does her thing in the adjoining fenced yard most of the time, but when the leaves are on the deck it apparently confuses her, so it then becomes the "poop" deck. lol

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), October 29, 2001.

I LOVE to rake up leaves. I use them as mulch on my gardens. We have huge maples all around us, and I get tons every year. Great for the garden!

Maybe you can get some gardeners to come rake up for you!

-- sheepish (WA) (the_original_sheepish@hotmail.com), October 29, 2001.

I used to believe that raking was a waste of time. I would only rake enough to be able to see some grass and to have a pile of leaves that the dogs and now the baby could jump in. However, one year I didn't rake up as many as in the past. The leaves gathered in certain spots and became a thick wet mass of mold. Of course, when you do rake (or shovel) this, you realize that you no longer have grass under it. I now try to be a little bit more deligent about raking my leaves. But I still don't see the need to get every last one. Maria at the edge of civilization, Maryland

-- Maria Barreros (mb@olg.com), October 29, 2001.

I don't even bother with the leaves that settle on my lawn in the fall. We have ash, poplar, maple and oak trees that "shed" from Sept. thru Nov. Most of them seem to either blow away before spring or naturally decompose. The only time I rake the lawn is in the spring to get any leftover leaves and to loosen the thatch. Sometimes we do a quick burn of the thatch. This will make your lawn green up very quickly!!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), October 29, 2001.

It's a city thang. We live out in the country, and no one rakes their leaves in the Fall around here. Seems like the closer you get to town, the more lawns seem to be raked. Monkey see, monkey do. As for Oak leaves, they do compress down when they get wet and are not my first choice for mulching around ormamentals. I would much rather spend my time enjoying my woodland property full of leaves and pine needles laying all over the ground, than raking it all up. Guess I like things natural.

-- Carol from Dixie (plantlady51@webtv.net), October 29, 2001.

We had a little article a couple weeks ago in our local papper about keeping the leaves on youre yard until spring, evidently it is a natural layer of protection for you're grass.I know oak leaves wont hurt the grass.My 20 acres of land is 95% oak and the grass grows everywhere.It also puts nutrients back into the earth.Mother earth knows what she is doing.

-- Dave Smith (Duckthis1@maqs.net), October 29, 2001.

I too love to rake! It's good exercise too. I do it some for the appearance but mostly to mulch with.

-- Nancy Woodward (NAWoodward@lakewebs.net), October 29, 2001.

I live in the country and have lots of trees. Learned a trick from dear old dad on dealing with leaves. He covers the mower deck shute with a piece of cardboard held in place with a bungee strap and mows the leaves. Does a heck of a job, but be sure to clear leaves away from the exhaust occaisionally.

-- Don W. (wrightstone@blazenet.net), October 29, 2001.

The following was found in the wild with the serial numbers filed off. Nevertheless I think it bears repeating:

Imagine the conversation The Creator might have with St. Francis about the suburban lawn:

"Frank you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the suburbs? What happened to the herbs and shrubs I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon.

"The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracted butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colours by now. But all I see are these green rectangles."

"It's the tribes that settled there, Lord.. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great extent to kill them and replace them with grass."

"Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colourful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and worms. It's temperamental with the seasons. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?"

"Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilising grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn."

"The spring rains and summer weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy."

"Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it - sometimes twice a week."

"They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?"

"Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags."

"They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?"

"No, sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away."

"Now let me get this straight. They fertilise grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?"

"Yes, sir."

"These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work."

"You aren't going believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it."

"What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life."

"You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and have them hauled away."

"No! What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and keep the soil moist and loose?"

"After throwing away your leaves, they go out and buy something they call mulch They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves."

"And where do they get this mulch?"

"They cut down trees and grind them up."

"Enough! I don't want to think about this any more. Saint Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?" "Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It's a real stupid movie about . . ."

"Never mind I think I just heard the whole story."

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), October 30, 2001.

Here in town we rake for various reasons mentioned above - appearance, clogging up the drains, muckiness, etc. But we also use the bagged leaves as insulation. We have an unheated porch with a cinder block foundation. We bag up the maple leaves and stack the bags around the foundation to help keep in heat. We put bags of butternut leaves out for the village to pick up because they don't pack down as well. We have seen neighbors picking up these bags to use as insulation. In the spring, we grind the bagged maple leaves with the mower and add them to our compost.

-- Cindy in NY (cjpopeck@worldnet.att.net), October 30, 2001.

I just mulch them where they stand. If I get a larger pile of mulch, I move that over and cover the garden with it. The first year we moved to the country my wife raked almost 30 bags worth of leaves. She was so angry when I took the bags and opened them up along the back fence row and over the garden.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), October 30, 2001.

We rake, but only to ensure a year round supply of leaf mold for our vermicompost operation. To inhibit early decomposition I even manger dry some so that it is available during spring and summer. After supplies for the worms are put back, the rest get mulched into the yard.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), October 30, 2001.

The only raking we do is for fun and for mulch. I like to rake a few bags of maple leaves while they are dry to feed the goats as a treat in the winter.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), October 30, 2001.

My favorite "ridiculous" is the whole concept of leaf blowers. Am I the only one who regularly sees people blowing their leaves into the neighbor's yard? Or out into the street where rain will make the leaves slick and hazardous? And people pay for this thing. Imagine a board meeting where executives are trying to dream up a use for the new invention and finally decide to launch an ad campaign to convince people that they NEED to blow their leaves around. And people bought into this. The height of gullible.

-- Rosalie (deatline@globalsite.net), October 30, 2001.

Ah, the leaf blower! Isn't that just the height of useless consumer goods being shoved on us? There was an item on CBC (Canadian Broadcast) radio about leaf blowers, some communities, especially around Toronto, are trying to get them banned. One more contraption that really doesn't do anything but waste energy and blast the neighbours out with excess noise. One of the stories told on that program was about a woman who regularly used one during summer to dry her lawn off after a rain!!!

How do I deal with the leaves here? Mulcher mower. Chews up the leaves into itty bitty pieces and mows the lawn at the same time. Earthworms chew up the bits, fertilize the ground for a green lawn in spring. I have really nice neighbours on either side. Normally I would leave the leaves until they're ALL down, but they keep after their leaves as soon as there's a blanket of them on the ground, and mine would blow over to their lawns. So...to keep peace in the neighbourhood, I get the mower out and waste a bit of gasoline chomping up my leaves.

-- Chelsea (rmbehr@istar.ca), October 30, 2001.

The problem here is the concept of 'yard.'

The prettiest spot outside my house is the area under several oak trees. We never ever rake leaves or mow. A native ground cover called horse herb has taken over the area, and it is beautiful, short, green, and has tiny little yellow flowers. I also have butterflies galore, and a gazillion bug eating lizards who are VERY entertaining.

We put two rustic homemade mesquite wood benches so you can sit and bliss out. It's fantastic.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), October 30, 2001.

Cindy in NY stole my thunder for suggestions of what to do with city leaves. Or country leaves as well. Years ago, when houses were made cheap and with little insulation, almost every farmhouse that I saw would have straw bales piled around the foundations. It was just something that we automatically did every fall. One load of straw bales was reserved for insulating the foundation. And city folk with farm ties also would use straw from the family farm. Now living in the city and in a 1923 house that was built from used barn lumber and when coal and oil were cheap, I've had to adapt to using what is available for insulation and that is leaves. I even go so far as to collect leaves from 5 or 6 neighbors so that I get a fluffy mix which won't mat down over the winter. Curly green ash from one neighbor are super leaves but if they get slightly damp, they will flatten out and never curl again. Red maples need 4 or 5 days of drying before they curl. Silver or clump maples are best. Newer hybrid ornamental maples remain flat no matter what and are best used just as a filler and are only good for shredding in the spring for compost. Even the type of bag should be considered. Most leaf bags are round and 1 mil thickness or less. I look for a commercial type garbage bag of 1.5 mil and which are square when full. These can then be stacked like bricks with no gaps between and can also be stacked in two tiers. When snows come, snow can also be piled against and on top of the bags for an even better seal. Eventually, spring arrives again and you now have a convenient supply of dry leaves just waiting to be shredded and used for compost and mulch. But wait before you say that you don't have a leaf shredder. With the money that you will have saved on the heating bill, you will be able to afford a proper leaf shredder! Failing that, use a fence or garage wall as a backstop and work them over with a power mower. One added caution about using and storing leaves in this manner and that is to remove all sticks before bagging. That is to prevent any punctures that would allow moisture to get in. The leaves need to be dry and fluffy for maximum insulation as well as easy shredding in the spring. And if there is an accidental small hole, be sure to place that side down. Leaves are God's gift to us from the sun. Always find a use for them!!

-- Martin Longseth (tmofmadison@aol.com), October 30, 2001.

We put a grass catcher on our mower several years ago and it's the best money I've ever spent. I seldom mow without it because there are so many uses for the clippings/shredded leaves--mulch, bedding for the goats and chickens, feed for the animals, insulation, covering beds of carrots, etc., to be wintered over (use the unopened bag and lay it on its side so rain can't seep in through the tie) and "browns" for the compost pile. If I have a combination of leaves and clippings in a batch, the greens and browns are premixed and only need a little water. I also try to make trips to town to run my errands on Monday after a nice weekend this time of year and collect bagged leaves on the way home.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), October 30, 2001.

Well, I DO use a leaf blower. Why is the energy used by it and the noise caused by it WORSE than that of a lawn mower?? I hope those of you who think leaf blowers are too noisy and too wasteful of energy aren't using gas-powered mowers and still feeling superior. Many a lawn mower start-up has shattered the quiet of a summer's day for me and belched it's stink out into the air. Mine has done the same to other people, so I can't take a superior position.

It depends on how many leaves are down and what the weather is/has been. If they aren't so thick that they'll clog the mower AND they're dry, I will mulch mow them, and return them to the yard (which gets no pesticides or herbicides, and not much fertilizer, and only natural then). If, however, there are too many of them for the mower or they're too wet (like when it's been raining for the last few days), then I blow them. I blow them under shrubs and trees where that is possible. Where there are too many to do that, I blow them onto a tarp and drag them off to the composting areas.

I get a GREAT many leaves in my yard. I have a lot of trees, and the property is situated that prevailing winds bring me a lot from neighboring trees, including the wild area across the road. I experimented with letting the leaves just lay on the yard. It started killing the grass. I saved it by removing the leaves in the spring, but they were a lot soggier and harder to move by then, so I do it in the fall. I have USED piled up leaves to kill grass where I didn't want it. If leaves don't kill your grass, then your conditions are different from mine.

I have back problems. If I had to rake all the leaves, I would be at the chiropractor twice a week. The leaf blower saves my back (it's electric powered, so lighter than the gas powered -- have to use about 150 ft of cord to get to the farther areas, after that, it can go natural). Mine is not powerful enough to blow the huge piles all that far, which is why I blow them onto tarps and drag them (the tarps slide easily over the grass & leaves). My chiropractor says this is the best method.

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), October 30, 2001.

Thank you, Joy. I have RA and am unable to rake leaves. My husband bought me a leaf blower a couple of years about and it has made a world of difference. I blow my leaves into a pile and then to a tarp where my husband takes them to a special spot we have have to composting leaves. Since we have 14 acres of trees, it is either get the leaves off the grass or have no grass. We have only cleared about an acre for the house and buildings so far.I have started many a garden bed by shreading leaves and spreading them over the area I want a bed. After doing this for a year or two, I end up with an area that I can plant right into. I view leaves as much of a harvest as the vegetables and fruit I grow.

-- Chris in PA (CLMngs@aol.com), October 30, 2001.

When we lived where we had a lot of maples, we just let the leaves lie. They would disappear on their own by spring. Now we have mostly pine and the needles don't seem to compost, at least not for a long time. Is there something we should be doing with them, or not doing? We do end up with some piles because we sweep them off the roofs.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), October 30, 2001.

Bonnie - use them as a mulch for acid loving plants. Blueberries just love them as do azaleas,etc. And you can mulch under the evergreens with them too. I can't wait until our new evergreens get old enough to provide needle mulch.

-- Chris in PA (CLMngs@aol.com), October 30, 2001.

Bonnie, Pine needles are great for using as mulch around your landscape plants. They keep the roots cool in the heat of summer and the weeds down around the plants. Lowe's Home Improvement sells pine needles in bales, like straw bales. In the Springtime, those bales sell like hotcakes.

-- Carol (plantlady51@webtv.net), October 30, 2001.

Leaves!! Wonderful things. We rake like mad, and bag, bag, bag. Just as many as we can get! Why? They make wonderful bedding for poultry during the winter. Ever go into the chicken house in the winter and think "whhhhhhhee" it is getting smelly? Just add a bag of leaves and you will get rid of the smell, give the chickens something to do (they love scratching through the leaves) and also make wonderful compost for your garden in the spring. They work really well for goats and sheep too, although you don't get the compost stuff. After a winter of housing chickens with leaf bedding my husband goes in and shovels the stuff out the window into a trailer and off to the garden it goes. It's not wet (unless your chicken pen has a leak), doesn't smell and is light to shovel.

I use about 40 bags of leaves a winter.....that's why I rake!!

-- Mary R. (cntryfolk@ime.net), October 31, 2001.

Raking is a very important aspect of this homestead. It occupies the kids (and the neighbor's kids) for hours at a time - rake the leaves, jump in the pile, repeat. By the time the done, the leaves are not only raked up (more or less) but also shredded! Then they go into the garden for the chickens to till in. Voila! Entertainment and fertilizers rich in minerals, all free for the taking!

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), October 31, 2001.