Clear only traffic areas of leaf debris
Clear your gutters, street drains and traffic areas of leaf debris but consider leaving your Autumn leaves in landscaped beds and mulched leaves on lawns.
Scientists world wide are urging home owners to adopt a more eco approach to how we can help create sustainable habitats for wee creatures like butterflies and beneficial insects and also, manufacturer our own healthy soil amendments. Left alone in garden areas, leaves decompose with the assistance of little creatures and fungi – eventually the process turns the leafy accumulation into humous rich, earthy leaf mould & compost. Besides, the insulating qualities of any blanketed organic matter, are known to protect and save delicate shrubs and perennials. Toronto winters get cold.
Depleting the earth of its own potential goodness is like removing important bacterial flora from our own bodies. It just has to be replaced synthetically – use the real thing!
Throughout America, the National Wildlife Federation is campaigning the merits against over meticulous environmental care. We as RoncyWorks members and Roncesvalles area neighbours, ought to recognize such leaf saving benefits by supporting leaf – non collection strategies ourselves because such action plans are pro supportive towards Environmental Protection.
View large expanses of leaves – differently
Save your Back, save a Buck!
It goes without saying; less raking reduces the risk of muscular injury. But saving a buck? Imagine never having to purchase fertilizer, bags of garden loam or mulch again. By contributing to your own manufacturing of leaf mould, you will always have an economical abundance of nature’s bounty. That saves you money. Many savvy gardeners are utilizing the benefits of autumn leaves. Some use their lawnmowers or weed wackers to mulch leaves down so that they decompose faster. Left finely chopped on lawns, they deteriorate quickly and tend not to blow around. Some collect surplus leaves in an uncovered bin and wait for the process of time to do its work. Its really quite easy. I personally have raked my leaves onto my landscaped flower beds for years, every spring I note how much better the earth has become.
Make your own Leaf Mould & Yard Compost
If binned home leaf composting isn’t your thing, rely on The City of Toronto’s leaf collecting system but do it in the Spring after you, your garden and the insects have benefitted.
Think of life in forests. No one rakes the accumulation of leaves, yet every spring decomposition has occurred because of the presence of beneficial fungi, insect life and the blanketing of snow. As new growth pushes through the leafy floor, the remainder of fallen leaves provide a rich mulch, that eventually breaks down and that process, is a never ending natural cycle. – now take the forest example and apply it to your own garden. It’s simple, easy and free.
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