I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Leave the leaves.” This method encourages gardeners to use fallen leaves as mulch and allow them to remain in non-lawn areas—such as beds and woodland spaces—instead of removing them. This practice creates habitat for insects and other small creatures and improves soil quality.
I’ve used this approach for many seasons. At first, I collected all the leaves on tarps and piled them in a staging area behind my shed. Once I had gathered everything, I ran the leaves through a small chipper-shredder and spread them throughout my beds. As you can imagine, this process required a lot of time and energy.
Over the years, I refined my methods—much as I used to do in my Corporate America days. I bought the right equipment, including a Cyclone Rake leaf vacuum. The new machine made collection easier, but I still spent many hours grinding leaves into tiny pieces. One day, while I was processing leaves on site, my friend said, “Let me get this straight. You’re removing the leaves from the beds so you can put them back in the beds?” She had a point. From that moment on, I stopped grinding the leaves and simply spread them directly on the beds without worrying about making them extremely small.
And guess what? The new process worked just fine, and the plants enjoyed their winter coats of nearly full-sized leaves. By spring, the leaves had mostly decomposed—just in time for new growth to emerge from the warming soil.
My approach this year is the same as in years past, but this fall I have a problem: I don’t have as many on-site leaves as I used to. I lost four massive trees in a storm this past June, and now I need more leaves. Fortunately, almost all my neighbors bag their leaves and leave them curbside for pickup. So I’ve resorted to “stealing”—not the kind that gets you arrested, mind you, but the kind that helps me boost my leaf supply. I also volunteered to take my leaf vacuum to my next-door neighbor’s yard to help them collect their leaves. They’re grateful for the time savings, and I’m thrilled to gather more leaves for my garden.
I may be one of the first “leaf thieves” you’ve ever met, and I proudly own the title. I encourage you to become one too—or at least keep your own leaves. Your garden will thank you!