What if your fall garden routine is keeping your garden beds from thriving? Eeek!
During a fall cleanup, we’re often tempted to wipe the slate and get rid of the layer of brown, curling leaves scattered across our beds. However, Mother Nature doesn’t get out her rake and put all this decomposing matter in the trash.
Hmmmm…why is that? It’s because Mother knows best. When leaves fall to the ground, they are going through a glorious process called “decomposition.” Of course you know about decomposition – but maybe you haven’t made the connection between allowing fallen leaves to break down right in your garden and having healthier soil in your landscapes! No worries, my friends. We’re here to shed some light on the situation.
With the help of rain, wind, and sunlight, fallen leaves break down into food for microorganisms, fungi, and insects. Because of that digestion process, they are further broken down into nutrients for the soil.
It’s no surprise that the tiny critters and the soil are working together to recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem. Because of this, every part of the ecosystem is getting enough to eat. It means happier, healthier plants and trees. Those leaves falling outside your window are giving so much back to the earth. Everything in nature is interconnected and interdependent – even the parts that aren’t alive anymore.
These falling leaves are anything but a nuisance. They’re a resource! How can we follow Mother Nature’s lead and “leave the leaves” while curating beauty in the garden?
Option one: rake the leaves into your beds and walk away. They’ll decompose in their own time.
Option two: rake the leaves into a pile on your lawn and run a mower or mulching mower over it. Rake that broken up pile back into your beds and voilà! Homemade mulch. You can also use a leaf shredder to create mulch. This will speed up the composting process.
Pro tip: If you are leaning towards option number two and plan to rake your leaves onto a lawn that is treated with chemicals, this may negatively impact plant health once it’s back in the garden. Here’s another reason to avoid chemicals as you wear your gardening hat!
As you’re figuring out which option is better for you, be aware that some leaves (like oak) take longer to break down. It’s also smart to remember that a thick, wet layer of leaves can create an impenetrable barrier that inhibits the growth of plants.
Regardless of which you choose, you’ll be keeping this valuable resource in your garden, inviting worms and microorganisms into your beds. Build up their presence underneath the soil and you’ll enjoy a happier garden.
“I’m hesitant about doing this in my front beds because I don’t know how it will look,” you may hedge.
No problem. Start with your back beds. Your comfort zone with this method of gardening will probably grow once you become more familiar with it. It’s a great place to take note of the results: pay attention to the soil structure year after year and watch your plants become healthier, stronger, bloom more prolifically, and resist disease.
Leave this material in your garden beds as long as possible (the current recommendation is to leave it until the soil warms to fifty degrees consistently). This will insulate the roots and bulbs belowground. It creates food and habitat for the overwintering pollinators and critters. Once early spring hits and your bulbs are about to come up, you can drive over your beds with a mower.
Why would we mow the beds in the spring?
Great question. It’s an option if you are still seeing a lot of the past year’s stems and leaves that haven’t broken down yet. It mulches them up into even smaller bits, so they can fall further into the ground during the growing season. Another reason is that the debris from the fall mulch will start interfering with the beauty of the spring growth. If you have bulbs coming up low to the ground, you won’t be able to see them because of the debris from fall.
We’re not removing the debris from the space; we’re finding spaces to tuck what hasn’t yet decomposed.
If you’re accustomed to having a terribly tidy garden, simply cut hollow, stemmed plants that have naturally fallen into one-foot sections. Tuck them into your plants or underneath shrubs so that when things grow in spring, they’re hidden. Overwintering pollinators can still burrow into them and it’s a great way to process long stalks that won’t go through the mower.
Last thought: The “leave the leaves” movement is primarily for garden beds. However, one of the last times you mow your lawn in the fall, it’s recommended to mulch any grass and leaves back into the lawn as long as it isn’t too thick of a layer. This will replenish the soil with nitrogen and food for the soil microflora.
There is always a workaround. Cheers to gardening in a way that supports our ecosystem!
Until next thyme,