As we have fruit trees and nut trees and are all growing things in yards or orchards… some of us dont rake and some of us do. Some mulch… and some are into ‘sanitary’ removal.
Neighborhoods will be in panic mode all over as folks pay people or kids to remove every leaf in their yard.
Special bags will be bought…paper and plastic.
Leaf Blowers will cause arguments and frustrations. Someone will blow leaves onto someone elses property, and someone will blow them into the street… and someone will be woken up by a leaf blower.
Not sure what the percentage is of folks that are obsessed with mowing their yards… but its high. Those same folk are usually obsessed with leaf removal… or creating leaf volcanoes around their trees.
Farmers Almanac 1844
“Prepare compost for a new year, by raking dead leaves, soil, sand, &c. in a heap, to turn over occasionally. Pour in brine, soap-suds, &c. from the house into it. Transplant still hardy kinds of flowering shrubs, suckers, &c. Clear the boarders from dead annuals, leaves, stumps, &c.; shelter the choice bulbs and double flowering plants.”
Modern Farmer’s Almanac note:
“Pound for pound, leaves contain twice the mineral content of manure,” writes Robin Sweetser, The Farmer’s Almanac ’s gardening blogger (it’s so weird to say that!). “The huge amount of organic matter they offer can be used to improve soil structure. Leaf humus can lighten heavy clay soils and increase the moisture retention of dry sandy soils. No organic gardener should pass up this opportunity for a free soil amendment.”
Martha Stewart Blog has true experts that have written about leaves-
However-
There must be new rakes bought, new mulching blades, new leaf blowers and leaf vaccums. It is also a job for contractors, neighborhood kids, OCD homeowners, not to mention HOA rules… then there is the industry for bags and bins… and on and on and on.
Thankfully to me there are still large areas unraked and nature allowed to carry on as it has done since the beginning of time.
Without Coca Cola we wouldnt have Santa Claus… without the market and industry we wouldnt have the ability to rake, bag and blow or mulch leaves to suit our aestetic beliefs or desires.
Do you remove these leaves? Mulch Them? Or let them be?
