On my run the other day I was blown away by how many leaf blowers I saw. Homeowners and hired gardeners were blowing perfectly good leaves off the garden areas out from under shrubs and trees. Why oh why aren’t they leaving them in place? Does bare dirt really look tidier? Used as mulch, leaves will hold nutrients and moisture in the soil. They also break down over the winter and add valuable nourishment for your plants.
I grabbed three bags off the curb last week and put my own community garden plots to bed, tucking them in under a cozy layer of multi-coloured leaves. The rest I mixed into my compost bin that has contained mostly green garden trimmings until now. You can store your leaves up in a garbage can or in bags under shelter over the winter too, and add them to your bin gradually. In the spring, you can pull up the leaf mulch and add it into the bin too.
Why not make use of this valuable resource? Blowing leaves onto the street just clogs up the storm drains and creates winter lakes for unhappy joggers.