Lmst

This time of year you may be wondering "how do I get these wet leaves off my sidewalks?" You can't blow them off, the rake doesn't work.
This works. It's the old fashioned type of broom that's been used in Asia for centuries. Stuff enough to move the leaves but dense enough that they don't slip through. You can find them at some garden centers. They're made in Sri Lanka and they're also biodegradable because they're completely made of plant matter. #gardening #autumn #leaves #leavetheleaves

An old fashioned witchy looking broom stood against a stair rail. Before it are some wet leaves on a sidewalk. A clear swath has been swept up through the middle of the leaves. Blue planters on the left are fading for the autumn.

Closer view of the broom. It has a triangular head made from split stiff plant material not grass but something split from cane or wood. It's held together with woven twine and a ferrule around the hardwood handle made of coconut shell.

I have a lot of leaves, more than my beds can handle. so I compost some directly in a compost pile. For the rest I enlist some help from the Ladies. They are terribly curious about anything new and find a leaf pile pretty entertaining.

They'll spend all winter shredding these leaves and by spring they'll be fine black mulch. It also makes the run less muddy and that keeps their feet and their roosts a little cleaner in the coop.
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#PNW #leavetheleaves #gardening #autumn #Leaves #chickens

Here in the Pacific Northwest, leaf mulching your perennial beds also helps them by slowing down the velocity of rain hitting the soil, so that water soaks in slowly. This helps prevent erosion and nutrient loss in the soil.

We have a lot of half-hardy plants here, that benefit from protection from the occasional hard freeze. act as a blanket for the plant roots, protecting them from freezing too hard, specially when there's no snow.
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#PNW #leavetheleaves #gardening #autumn #Leaves

Perennial bed closeup, some red stemmed Persicaria with autumn leaves mounded around them

Perennial bed with yellow bunching Japanese forest grass and lily stems all brown and bare. Tucked between are autumn leaves. A flagstone patio is in the distance and some tall New Zealand flax.

"Leaving the leaves" means leaving them on your property, especially if the alternative is a landfill. I don't have an actual lawn, but I do have wide grassy pathways between garden beds. Mostly I just use them as mulch in the perennial beds.

These leaves have insect eggs and pupae in them. Most insects are beneficial for your garden. And those are essential food for birds. Especially for the baby birds that will arrive in Spring.
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#PNW #leavetheleaves #gardening #autumn #Leaves

Wide shot of a foggy but sunny autumn day in a garden. The leaves have been raked off a wide green grass pathway between two garden beds which show autumn colors and fading perennials. Conifers in the distance

Leaf mulch built up around the base of a giant calla lily that is in the process of dying back for the winter. It's foliage is yellow and drooping and the brown autumn tree leaves are mounded around it

It's leaf raking season (at least here in the #PNW) and there's been a big campaign by the National Wildlife Federation to #leavetheleaves . Recently one of my favorite podcasts, In Defense of Plants, did an interview with NWF naturalist David Mizejewski to explain what that means.

https://www.indefenseofplants.com/podcast/2025/10/21/ep-549-advocating-for-fallen-leaves

The biggest misconception is that this means leaving leaves on your lawn. No, it doesn't. Leaf buildup on your turf grass will damage it.
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#gardening #autumn #Leaves

Wide shot if a garden path, a grassy one, between some raised perennial beds with stone walls. The whole area is strewn with golden maple leaves fallen to the ground. More golden foliage overhead.

Meet my Leave the Leaves™️ Poster Child. I have no idea who this is going to be. Have a restful winter, lil buddy.

#invertebrates #LeaveTheLeaves #NativePlants

Interesting. I had considered setting up a bee house, but noticed that the local bees liked taking up residence in our small woodpile and a few logs and other spots. I just leave them bee! The bumblebees made a huge comeback in our part of #Maine this year, @Pomegranatepirate... BONUS! @MaQuest
#LeaveTheLeaves #LeaveTheLogs #BuildingForPollinators

I Didn't Know That!: Leave the Leaves

"When fall arrives, many of us grab a rake and bag up fallen leaves without thinking twice. But did you know that those crunchy piles are more than yard waste? They’re also winter homes for pollinators!"

National Park Service

"A cozy blanket for pollinators

For many insects, leaf litter acts like a cozy blanket. It insulates against cold and moisture, giving them a safe place to survive the winter. Bees, butterflies, and moths all take shelter in ways you might not expect:

Bees in the ground: Many bumble bees, sweat bees, and mining bees dig down into soil and rely on leaf cover for insulation.

Bees in stems: Most small carpenter bees, mason bees, and leafcutter bees nest inside hollow or pithy plant stems, sometimes sealing themselves in until spring.

Butterflies and moths: Many species overwinter as chrysalises, cocoons, caterpillars or eggs tucked among leaves, stems, or twigs, quietly waiting until warmer days.

What you can do

Leave the leaves: Instead of bagging them up, let them stay as overwintering habitat for pollinators!

Or move them just a bit: You don’t have to leave the leaves where they fall to help pollinators. You can do a little clean up and move the leaves to garden beds or around tree bases.

Rake or blow. Don’t shred: Instead of using your mower to collect and shred leaves, use a rake or a blower and keep the leaves intact. This provides better habitat for pollinators and keeps you from accidentally destroying eggs, caterpillars, and cocoons already on or within the leaves. Leaf-eating bugs will help by eating and breaking up leaves as they decompose.

Skip the yard “cleanup”: Hollow stems and twigs might be hiding sleeping bees. Instead of disposing or burning pieces of wood, create a brush pile for pollinators! Looking for a “clean” look? You can hide the pile behind existing landscaping or use the larger pieces as borders to define the edges of your planters!

Think small: Even leaving just a corner of your yard untouched can make a big difference for pollinators.

Wait for spring: You’re not procrastinating, you’re helping pollinators! Instead of cutting back plants and cleaning up your yard in the fall, wait until spring is underway. This will give pollinators a winter home and allow them to emerge before your spring cleaning.

So next time you hear that satisfying crunch underfoot, remember, you might be stepping over a pollinator’s winter hideaway. By leaving the leaves, you’re giving nature a helping hand until spring. "

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/idkt_leave-the-leaves.htm

#SolarPunkSunday #GardeningForPollinators #LeaveTheLeaves #Gardening

@tickfoot Tagging for #SolarPunkSunday!

#Pollinators #GardeningForPollinators #LeaveTheLeaves

@BrahmaBelarusian Yes when I’m clearing a path I’ll often have someone walk past thank me for making it safer for them.

I tell them it’s a win, win for me also and explain what I’ll be using the leaves for. Even little conversations can be a chance for people to learn something and maybe change attitudes. #LeaveTheLeaves @tickfoot

@Broadfork @tickfoot Autumn & Winter are the months I mostly need canes & forearm crutches to walk even somewhat decently, so the leaf & other debris removal from concrete & stone footpaths (generally just brushing them to either side) is a very big safety need & likewise my saving the work of going past that helps other creatures so it's a win/win situation.#LeaveTheLeaves

@BrahmaBelarusian @tickfoot Yes, it’s better to let nature work its magic. It saves you doing a job that’s unnecessary and is totally counter productive to nature and yourself.

I collect the excess leaves from the footpaths around here.

It makes the footpaths safer and less slippery underfoot and I’ll make a pile for 2027’s leaf mould and mulch the garden and/or growing beds with the rest.
#LeaveTheLeaves

PSA from NPS
#leavetheleaves #wildlife #insects #gardening

A poster from the national park service that tells you to leave the leaves because they provide insulating habitat to insects that shelter butterflies, bees, moths, and fireflies. It says to think small, even a corner of a yard is helpful, blow or rake if you have to but don't shred and wait for spring to do so.

Autumnal leaves scattered on the ground.

#SilentSunday
#LeaveTheLeaves
#LeaveTheLeavesOnTheGround

A carpet of leaves covers the ground, in a variety of shades; from warm browns, to fawny colours, to sunny yellows.

I imagine there is a whole host of beautiful and very important wildlife living under all the leaves.

Anyone have good tips on how we can #LeaveTheLeaves in #Portland? The first year we were in our new house, I spread the leaves around our backyard, and the rain quickly turned it into a mushy mess that didn't make anyone happy.

https://youtube.com/shorts/d0yBwoyl2aY

Our back yard in 2021 with maple leaves from the front yard spread everywhere, but directly below the honey locust which had not fallen down yet.

I will never understand why Canadians hate leaves.

#LeaveTheLeaves

a tractor with a leaf removal trailer on grass in a park

the leaf removal trailer leaves a leafless trail on the grass behind it

slippery slope from "we don't need to electrify the car industry if we ban cars" to "we don't need to electrify the mow-and-blow industry if we don't mow and blow" #NoMowMay #NoMowOctober #BanCars #LeaveTheLeaves #Fall

https://mastodon.online/@brentlineberry/115460523552225193

@dash It’s that time of year again. All that free mulch material to add for the worms to pull down into the garden soil and veg plot.

I have my wheelbarrow at the ready to start removing the leaves from the footpaths and paved areas around here.

I do leave the leaves where they fall elsewhere. #NoDig #Permaculture #Compost #LeaveTheLeaves

“The number one thing you can do from an entomologist’s perspective is plant an oak tree and leave the leaves that fall off the oak tree.”
#gardening #trees #biodiversity #LeaveTheLeaves
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/realestate/leaving-leaves-yard.html?unlocked_article_code=1.sU8.2pML.aV6nWO6jyepL&smid=url-share

Extension Master Gardener here. This spooky dude is 100% right! Pull the leaves out of your squash beds to avoid squash bugs next summer, but when it comes to tree leaves on the lawn? #LeaveTheLeaves

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ylg3i5gmtn66cvcghmbnxhyl/post/3m2einluwl227

#LeaveTheLeaves

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