Collect and spread leaves for better soil health

by Mark Amara Grant-Adams Master Gardener
| November 9, 2018 2:00 AM

Several questions were asked of the Grant-Adams Master Gardeners this fall concerning the use of leaves, including maple and cottonwood leaves, as mulch.

As the days get shorter and the day and nights turn colder, leaves and needles are dropping everywhere out of the trees and shrubs around the area. Rather than sweeping or raking them up, putting them in the garbage can or taking them to the dump, burning or letting them blow away, keeping and using them should be an option.

Leaves (or wood chips, yard waste like grass, brush, or clippings, or even crop residues) used as mulch (compost or cover) is an excellent way of helping to reduce landfill space and is actually a valuable annual renewable resource. I even have an arrangement to get unlimited piles of (untreated) shredded leaves from a neighbor, but more on that later.

Collecting and spreading leaves on or around the garden and yard can help to retain soil moisture and conserve water, minimize weeds, improve soil quality and health, reduce compaction, add nutrients to the soil, and even help promote plant growth. As cover, leaves (or other materials) that are spread on the surface are called mulch. Adding leaves can help improve soil texture, stabilize fluctuations in soil temperature, and reduce evaporation during dry spells.

Now that you know a little more about what mulch is, let’s see how mulching leaves is good when applied this time of year. Here we are in fall with mountains of leaves to deal with. Collecting it is sometimes a challenge. Whatever way it is collected, there are many benefits to keeping and using it.