Two tips for the EASIEST fall garden clean up yet
Fall garden chores can feel like a lot of work! There’s so much to do outside before winter hits and the ground freezes. Have you ever considered if some of those garden chores didn’t actually need to be done though? And maybe the chores that you didn’t do, would actually be beneficial? Two chores that I skip every single fall are pruning perennials and disposing of leaves. Yes, it’s true! At first, I was nervous of what my neighbors would think about my “untidy” garden, but it turns out that my neighbors were actually onboard with my winter garden!
I know that some neighborhoods have HOA rules that require tidy lawns or you simply have particular neighbors that would notice your untidy garden! There are options for you too that would still offer some of the benefits AND that would make your neighbors happy. Here are a few different ways you can keep those leaves:
Leave them whole and rake them into your beds
Compost them
Mow them into small pieces, so they break down faster
Here are some of those benefits according to the experts:
Less landfill waste- according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “leaves and other yard debris account for more than 13 percent of the nation’s solid waste—a whopping 33 million tons a year” (www.nwf.org).
Leaves are a natural mulch that helps suppress weeds
Leaves are a natural mulch that also helps insulate the ground
Leaves fertilize the soil as they break down
Leaves are a good source of carbon for compost piles (www.almanac.com).
Leaves provide vital wildlife habitat- according to the national wildlife federation, “critters ranging from turtles, toads, birds, mammals, and invertebrates rely on leaf liter for food, shelter, and nesting material. Many moths and butterfly caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves before emerging in spring” (www.nwf.org).
Leaf humus can lighten heavy clay soil
The other chore that I leave until early spring is pruning perennials and removing annuals like sunflowers. Again, this may look a little untidy, BUT it can also add some much needed winter interest! There are some clear benefits to leaving this fall chore until spring as well!
Spent perennials provide shelter for beneficial insects
Perennials such as sedum and coneflowers provide food for birds. My yellow finches in particular love the seed heads on coneflowers.
Some perennials survive the winter better with the extra protection and insulation from dead stems
Annuals like sunflowers offer food for finches and songbirds and the stems offer a place to burrow into for the winter.
I hope you’ll consider trying one or both of these fall garden tips this year. Make the fall season a little easier on yourself and enjoy the many environmental benefits too!
Let’s Get Growing,
Shannon
Sources:
https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2019/11/should-perennials-be-cut-back-fall
https://www.almanac.com/what-do-fall-leaves
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/landscape/leaf-management-plan/
https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/putting-fall-leaves-to-work/
