10/15/2026
October is national Leave the Leaves month! 🍂
Fallen leaves are a locally abundant resource that offer myriad benefits to the garden ecosystem: they add moisture and nutrients to the soil, provide habitat for overwintering insects, and help insulate perennial plants. And yet so often people rake them up, throw them in the garbage, and then use synthetic alternatives (fertilizer, row cloth, etc.) to compensate for what would have been freely offered by nature.
If you are interested in aligning with a more ecological paradigm and decide to leave the leaves from here on out, you have options. You can leave them where they fall, letting them compost into your lawn over the winter, or rake them into garden beds or leaf piles.
And while we’re on the topic of changing gardening habits, it’s best to leave plants intact over the winter instead of cutting them back in autumn. Lots of insects, particularly bees, rely on hollow stalks to overwinter. We wait until temperatures consistently reach around 50 degrees at night in the spring to cut back last year’s plants. Many native perennials offer structural interest in the winter garden, remaining upright even through deep snow, and their seeds provide food for resident birds.
Imagine how much biological richness could be generated by making such a small, manageable change. More robust plants growing in healthier soil, visited by more insects. Spread the word - tell a friend or neighbor - leave the leaves! 🍁
