Opinion | Don’t you dare rake your leaves this fall

Great article, thanks for sharing it!

I do think there's value in deadheading during the growing season, provided there's some time left for another flowering to occur and the trimmings are left to break down whole - this can provide additional harborage and spread seed to new potential garden areas while also providing a new food source. If either of those conditions can't be met then leave them standing.

We definitely got some pushback on our "unkempt" gardens when we first bought our house and began redoing the landscaping, but talking about "winter interest" in landscaping and sharing articles from gardening publications and resources in our area really helped to bridge the gap of understanding with our neighbors. I encourage folks to find resources from their areas like botanical gardens or horticultural departments of universities if they're concerned about the possible social cost of implementing this in their spaces.

I never rake, but I do mulch them up with the mower. If I don't, the snow falls and turns them into a mat which molds and kills everything under them by springtime. But mowing them accelerates the natural decomposition process and converts them back into nutrients faster.

In my yard it is a 8:1 ratio of forest:lawn. Only the lawn is raked which I feel like is a good balance. I use the leaves as compost for my garden.

My pets need somewhere to play. 🤷‍♂️

We haven't raked leaves in years. When we did last it was much more to create a giant pile for kids to jump into than for any other reason. All we have ever done for the yard is mow. And pick up what sticks are required to do so.

It makes sense doesn't it? Biodiversity will always facilitate better, richer, healthier equilibriums between species than the ones imposed by man-made, narrow-minded motives. The more intricate details I notice in environments unaffected (at least not directly) by humans, the more urban environments seem like wastelands..

Nice article, thanks!