• Ask Mark
    • Search the Library
    • Mark’s Blog
    • eNewsletter / Subscribe
    • Books
    • Links
  • Cullen’s Foods
  • Trees For Life
  • Events
    • Gardening Communities
  • About Mark
    • Mark and Ben’s Bio
    • Book Mark as a Speaker
    • Mark in the Media
    • Contact Us
November 6, 2014

Leave your Leaves

It’s that time of year when, as I drive through nearby neighbourhoods, I see this:
leaves2

Bags upon bags of leaves. This one particular house had over 100 bags of leaves and while most houses have maybe 5 bags sitting at the edge of the road, it doesn’t change the fact that these leaves are priceless.

And by priceless, I mean worth more than you can imagine. When a leaf falls from a tree, it contains carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium along with numerous other important micronutrients. As these leaves break down, these nutrients move into the soil where they will be sucked up by other plants and maybe, again, by the same tree that grew the leaves the previous year.

Bagging up your leaves and setting them out to be taken by the ‘green’ truck and composted by the city just seems backwards to me. In the spring, these are the same people who are buying bags of mulch and compost or, even worse, buying compost back from the city.

Your Leaves
The best thing you can do with your leaves is to run them over with the lawn mower. Of course, make sure any large sticks and all of the kids’ (or dog’s) toys have been picked up. Run them over a few times and use a mulching mower for best results. You can just leave them in place and the majority will break down over the winter.
leaves3
If you have oak trees, the leaves are much thicker and don’t break down quite as quickly. If you have only a small percentage of these leaves, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If you have a goodly amount, mow them and move them to garden beds and use them as mulch. They are also great to use around roses and other semi-tender plants that benefit from a little winter protection (other leaves will work for this purpose, too).

By removing the leaves from the property completely, you are removing the nutrients from the soil. Trees drop their leaves in hopes of picking up those nutrients again in the spring. Do them a favour and leave your leaves close by. They’ll thank you with a healthy canopy and shade on those sweltering summer days.

← Previous post
Feed the Birds…

Next post →
Remembering

Search

Recent Posts

  • Signs of Spring March 27, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week February 2, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week January 11, 2021
  • Around the Acres This Week December 9, 2020

Mark’s Blog by Month

Ask Mark

  • eNewsletter
  • Radio/Podcast
  • Magazine article
  • Newspaper column
  • TV

Recent Tweets

Mark CullenFollow

Best selling Canadian gardening author as seen on TV, radio, online and print.

Mark Cullen
16 Oct

Tune into @1059TheRegion to hear Ben talk fall colors today with Ann Rohmer or listen online at http://1059theregion.com/ and look for THE FEED

Reply on Twitter 1449275767133773824Retweet on Twitter 14492757671337738241Like on Twitter 14492757671337738244
8 Oct

Thank you so much to @globalnewsto for having @MarkCullen4 on the "Making a Difference" segment this week. Take a look at the broadcast here: https://globalnews.ca/video/8248858/national-charity-committed-to-inspiring-tree-planting-initiatives-across-canada

Reply on Twitter 1446542309101867034Retweet on Twitter 14465423091018670342Like on Twitter 14465423091018670343
29 Jun 2021

Bird watching isn't just a hobby, it’s an opportunity to help. Gardening expert Mark Cullen explains.

https://nexthome.ca/news/bird-watching-isnt-just-a-hobby-its-an-opportunity-to-help/1284617/

@MarkCullen4

#garden #flowers #gardens #gardenlife #nature #gardenlove #birdwatching #birding #wildlife #birdlovers #birdlife #naturelovers #birdlover

Reply on Twitter 1409878268090716161Retweet on Twitter 14098782680907161615Like on Twitter 140987826809071616117
18 Jun 2021

Written by @MarkCullen4 for @TorontoStar, check out the top eight picks for planting in hot spots.

#LandscapeOntario #GreenforLife #GardeningTips #GardeningTrends #TorontoGardens #SouthernOntarioGardening

https://www.thestar.com/life/homes/2021/06/15/these-8-plants-are-heat-loving-sun-worshippers.html

Reply on Twitter 1405955991699701762Retweet on Twitter 14059559916997017622Like on Twitter 140595599169970176210

Comments are closed.

About Mark and Ben


Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author & broadcaster and holds the Order of Canada. His son Ben is a fourth-generation urban gardener and graduate of Guelph and Dalhousie University.
More

Find Mark On

Sponsored Links

Highway of Heroes cullensfoods Share Agriculture Foundation Harrowsmith
© Mark Cullen. Go to top ↑