Leaves blowing around the yard may be a discouraging sight to the tidy landscaper, but with the right lens, leaves covering the ground can be seen as ample opportunities.
Many outdoorsy folks look forward to the fall as an opportunity to work in their yards during comfortable weather and to get outside and play. Last week, Amy, also known as the Crunchy Domestic Goddess, shared a few tips on how gardeners and composters may make use of fallen brown leaves to create a nutrient-rich compost throughout the year.
When it comes to managing fall leaves, you may also wonder how to remove leaves from your yard in an environmentally friendly way, and whether or not it makes sense to remove leaves at all.
According to Marie Ianotti, a gardening writer for About.com, cleaning up fall leaves makes sense when there is a substantial amount of leaves covering your grass since a thick layer of leaves may smother grass rather than fertilize it. On the other hand, Ianotti recommends that when leaves are sparse, they should be left on the grass where they will naturally become mulch to nourish the soil and grass.
When leaf clean-up is needed, why not opt for environmentally friendly techniques and tools?
When I was growing up in the wooded valleys of southern Connecticut, I remember observing neighbors collecting leaves by pushing their gas-powered lawn mowers over the leaves. Admittedly, a gas mower is easier to push and may reduce time spent in the yard, however, it makes more sense for gardeners and composters to use a man-powered mower to chop up dried leaves before raking them. Once the leaves are chopped and raked, they are ready to be collected and added to compost or mulch bins.
Added bonuses to using manpower and elbow grease for yard maintenance include less air pollution, reduced fuel use, and opportunities to get active. Pushing a mower for an hour burns over 300 calories on average! And raking a lawn for an hour burns at least 200 calories! Invite the kids to join you in the yard for a round of jumping in the leaves, and the number of calories burned keeps climbing.
I myself am looking forward to a round of outdoor cleanup this fall. With a little bit of elbow grease and the right attitude, the opportunities for fun, green cleanup are endless!
An original 5 Minutes for Going Green post. Jessica Monte also blogs about natural parenting and the environment at Green Mamma and API Speaks.
[…] Leaves blowing around the yard may be a discouraging sight to the tidy landscaper, but with the right lens, leaves covering the ground can be seen as ample opportunities. Many outdoorsy folks look forward to the fall as an opportunity to work in their yards during comfortable weather and to get outside and play. Last week, Amy, also known as the Crunchy Domestic Goddess, shared a few tips on how gardeners and composters may make use of fallen brown leaves to create a nutrient-rich compost th Lawn Care Tips… […]
[…] I wanted to share another article that I wrote for 5 Minutes for Going Green called “Fall Cleanup with a Little Bit of Elbow Grease and Manpower.” As the title indicates, this post discusses how to clean up the leaves in our yards in an […]