Leave the Leaves!

[@ECole-le7we]

The USDA recommended that you leave the leaves last fall entitled, "This Fall, Leave the Leaves!" They say among the things you mentioned, that leaving the leaves also reduces greenhouses gases. Thank you for this video supporting that practice.

[@juliabinford6500]

I’m so much happier since I adopted chop and drop, as well as leave the leaves. I see that it’s working out well. Much less weed pressure, less watering needed, and no increase in pests.

[@ashleyamelia08]

today my partner raked and shredded every leaf on our property - bagged and used them as mulch for our flower beds. literally, 4-5 inches of nutrient rich mulch...for free!!!

[@bobebbeskotte]

I do what your neighbor does, sort of. I put the bagger on the push mower and mow/chop them up, put them in garbage cans then dump them on my garden in the backyard. Great mulch and improves my soil. I see neighbors bagging their leaves and am always tempted to ask if I can have them. I haven't asked yet because I don't want them to think I'm a little weird. I also toss branches that fall from my trees into the garden (it's an English cottage style garden). The plants cover them up and they provide places for good bugs to live as they rot away.

[@sherriianiro747]

Be careful. I know someone who got a bunch of bagged leaves from a yard that was mowed the same day after the lawn service came out.

[@rrman2party]

Great idea with the branches, we use them to outline the beds.

[@douellette7960]

I'd definitely ask a few neighbors and then they'll be ready to hand them over each year. I find it better to mow the dry leaves (either on lawn or in driveway) first without the bag attached, and then mow again a second time with the bag attached. It actually saves time that way and you'll get more finely chopped leaves to use around smaller landscape plants or veggies etc. Raising front wheels on push mower can be helpful if leaves are deep

[@bobebbeskotte]

@@douellette7960 Great minds think alike!! 😀 I'll mow them into a windrow and when they're chopped up enough I'll put the bagger on. It works great. My neighbors had about 15 bags this year and I would have asked for them but I'm struggling with pretty tough back issues right now and I don't think I could have handled them all. Happy Gardening and Merry Christmas from Delphos, Ohio!!

[@Scashleynicole]

Wow, this leaf mowing and bagging idea is new to me but so smart! I am definitely going to try this in 2024! Our leaves are already tucked away to back corner of our lot, but I would love to be able to distribute more and more evenly across the flower beds. Thanks for the ideas!

[@lrothweiler]

I've always gardened for habitat, and it makes me happy to see others do the same. When I moved seven years ago to my 1/3 acre, this property was all lawn, weeds and boring. After all my plants that moved with me went in the ground, I began slowly adding more. Bought at the usual locations, grown from seed, mail-ordered, or gifted from friends and neighbors, each plant has it's own story, but the garden as a whole is the bigger story. Leaving the leaves is just one of the practices I use to improve the habitat. I use no pesticides or herbicides, and incorporate many native plants as well. And as each year has gone by, I've seen fewer and fewer pests. The birds, beneficial insects, bats, spiders and snakes all help to keep the pests under control. Even fireflies (especially their larvae) attack slugs. It's wonderful what happens when you learn to work with nature instead of fighting against it.

[@lindas5964]

For the guy with a sloped lot, I’d cut some steps into the slope and like you said, “let nature take over” and let it be a “nature walk” on his property! ❤

[@sherriianiro747]

Good video! May I add that most bees nest underground - including our native bumblebees which are endangered, that's why it's very important to leave the leaves and have areas that are not mulched so that the bees can get thru. They can only nest in a natural unadulterated area.

[@kimberly6123]

I’ve been fussed at on some Facebook pages for suggesting to mulch leaves. They told me that mulching often kills the bugs that are overwintering on them. Then I got mocked for asking what to do with the intact leaves in the spring and was told to leave them. Living in the city, however, there is not much room for leaving intact leaves. So I try to do a little of both - mulching some leaves and leaving intact leaves around the perimeter of the yard. 🤷‍♀

[@MyFocusVaries]

I take these comments with a grain of salt. We can't avoid having an impact on our environment. But I consider that I planted the trees so created a positive impact, for a net gain, even if I'm impacting some bugs on the leaves I remove. I don't use any chemicals and some leaves are left, so I concentrate on the fact I'm making an overall positive impact on the local environment. I remove leaves that look ugly or will damage plants. I put them in a compost bin. I got some chopped leaves from a friend who removes them from her grass; I'll compost it a bit and use it as a peat substitute to make my own raised bed mix.

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

I hate it when people get mean and sanctimonious, they often hurt the causes that they're trying to further. I would suggest just being as gentle as possible and practical. If someone's area is small enough, just use rake instead of shredding. Also consider what overwintering habitat you might already have, I think it's more devastating if a yard has no debris piles or habitat whatsoever. So I think your decision to leave some and mulch others makes sense. If the leaves are from a native tree too I think it's a lot different than if you have just a landscaping tree that might be native to Asia for example. I mean not that it couldn't possibly be benefitting wildlife but native species are more likely to be having those evolved ecological interactions with insects that are so critical.

[@rrman2party]

Jax FL zone 9a/9b. We keep all the leaves on the property and do exactly what you suggest. We grind them with the lawn mower and mulch our beds with them. Then we will get two or three Chip Drops in the spring and another three in late summer and mulch with that. After 6 years of improving the soil this way, which is Florida Myakka, we are FINALLY starting to find earthworms on the property. There are areas of our landscape that used to be bare, grey Myakka, and now have plants thriving in those areas. We still have a way to go, but we see improvement every year. Thanks Jim for all the amazing videos and knowledge you impart.

[@paulajames6149]

Jim, I am watching this video as I iron my tshirt :))). I am a perfectionist which obviously spills into my garden as well. I cleaned up a woodland area and now I have to maintain it by planting and caring for that area. Wondering if I should have just left it alone since I am not able to manage the rest of my gardenbeds. Thanks for always reminding us of your philosophy/perspective in general. Sometimes, the specifics are helpful but the overall thought and perspective can also be helpful. It helps me change my thinking and the way I view the garden and make decisions in the garden. Thanks!!!

[@ramgiberson7180]

❤hello everyone, happy gardening..Jim putnam and Stephany, happy holidays 💖 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤😂

[@johnheyer6087]

I rake the leaves into a large trash can or tote and use my weed eater to break them up, works great.

[@MyFocusVaries]

I've done this. Works great; I was covered in a fine mist of leaf dust afterwards😂

[@DavidLietz-dp9hr]

Wish we had more folks like you.

[@thomaszaccone3960]

They make a great mulch and decompose into compost

[@FrediOlson]

I managed to leave most of my leaves down this year, based on your practice. Kept them off the lawn. I'm must less stressed. But, every two years I have the mast acorn drop. That's when I really stress! But this year, I'm leaving the leaves! Thanks, Jim.

[@cdixon2011ify]

Yes me too with the acorns, sometimes I feel as though I might slip on them because there are so many on my deck steps,deck and lawn. But I still love the shade from those trees in the summer.

[@FrediOlson]

Yes, I love the shade too!@@cdixon2011ify

[@MelodyHopkins]

I know river birches are not your favorite tree, but it's on the top of my list. I have a clump of 3 that now nearly shades entirely my very small Florida south-facing front yard and I'd like to offer my reasons why I like it. First, its a beautiful, graceful tree that moves great in the wind. The peeling bark adds to some interest in winter. And in the fall when the leaves fall, I can simply mow and bag the ones that fall in my grass paths and add them to flowerbeds in the backyard. The leaves that fall in the shrub bed under the tree I just leave. They are small and quickly dry and shrivel up. By spring, most have disappeared and my plants cover them up. I don't need to worry about them covering up my groundcovers. True, river birches drop a lot of little twigs in spring and summer, but the fact that I don't have to do much to use the benefits of the leaves make picking them up a minor detail. I grew up in Georgia in the middle of forest lands owned by paper companies and my family's 300 acres were also mostly forested so some river birch leaves in my beds don't bother me a bit. They save me from a lot of the expense of buying enough mulch to cover the ground.

[@christiridley1009]

I appreciate you sharing this message. I hope that as more influencers share this message, the more other people will give it a try! 😊

[@ericjorgensen8028]

I have a similar small property with small lawn areas and some patio, driveway, and deck areas. Also have a Toro leaf vac like that. I like that model because the tube is a bit larger that other leaf vac Ive had. I vac the lawn and hardscape area leaves and bag it up until the leaves are done falling. Then add the chopped leaves onto the garden beds, on top of whatever leaves settled there. Never mulch my place. The leaves in the beds are broken down but the middle of the next summer...the plants are happy too. For my place it takes the same time to vac and bag these areas as it would to rake them & bag, or blow them to the curb for the city pickup. This works well for my small property, but for a place with large lawn areas the mower makes more sense. But blowing all the leaves out of garden beds can be pretty hard on new plants and especially fall bloomers. I get that people like it neat, but I'd rather have anemones, asters, hardy begonias looking good than blown sideways or flattened.

[@sherriianiro747]

You are so right! I had a landscaper years ago that literally uprooted seven small blueberry bushes with his leaf blower and just tossed them because he thought they were weeds!

[@ericjorgensen8028]

@@sherriianiro747 ahhh!. That stuff makes me so... Well, you know. The landscapers ( mow and blow services) hopefully will see that they can please clients, and probably make a little more $ if they offered some alternatives to just blowing it all to the dirt. I know a guy who patiently worked on getting his landscaper to shred the leaves on his lawn and then not blow out the beds. It took the guy a while, but he gets it now...I have to think a lot of people would welcome having a choice.

[@sherriianiro747]

@@ericjorgensen8028 Good Luck trying to find ones who will comply - they just want to get in and out as fast as they can to clean up the next yard.

[@hl08809]

Thanks for another very informative video, Jim. A few years ago, I started running my mulching mower over my leaves to collect and put in my garden areas. I was tired of buying mulch all the time and at the same time blowing the leaves out to the street to be picked up by my town and dumped at their recycling location. This past summer I purchased a WORX 430 leaf shredder and have been pretty happy with it.

[@lindas5964]

I struggle with this. Many of my plants suffer a great deal from spider mites (azeleas & hydrangea) and/or fungus (ligustrum) and of course you can’t use anything from roses…so I have started removing all leaves from these plant beds. Oak & magnolia leaves are great and yes the lawnmower method of grinding them up works great!

[@mt2766]

Same for me. Where I live the fallen leaves are like fungus fertilizer. And the tradewinds blow leaves from the plant beds onto the driveway and yard.

[@gracefulgrowing144]

I don't leave leaves either because I get too many issues with my plants.

[@Aliasjax]

Tip: I have a similar machine to your Toro from Worx. If you leave the collection bag zipper open, the shredded leaves are nicely spread behind you. No raking. No blowing. No mowing.

[@rachelsgarden]

I kind of wish we had more leaves... I watch your neighbor grind them up on the driveway thinking that looks fun! We love the Ego mower and blower. They're so quiet!

[@wilfredjones3008]

I live in Quebec Canada where we could have 3 or 4 feet of snow ,and i agree with you about the leaves . I blow or rake mostly all the leaves to in to my flower beds,and what is left over I mulch ,because here I would have to put all the leaves in huge paper bags and a big truck would pick them up just like you said and then in the spring we could pickup some mulch from the city great video hope others do the same....

[@clintreynolds9632]

I’ve been mulching my leaves up and throwing them in my flowerbeds around my Red Oaks for the last 6 years and omg the soil is incredible and my plants love it! I try to use the leaves as mulch now in ever flowerbed I have

[@LitlPoot]

I, too, tried the leaf vacuum/weed eater and wasn't too happy with it. Then I bought what is basically a stand-up weed eater (on Amazon). Rake up the leaves and drop 'em in the "mulcher" - put a garbage can underneath and then dump the broken down/mulched leaves in my garden beds - works great !!!

[@randyman8984]

Jim, I've been doing the same thing . I've got the worx leaf mulcher and blower.. I've had it for about 3 years. Its been working awesome. I think I got it on a Black Friday sale 3 yrs ago for like $85.. the main thing to protect the longevity of these is to use a 12 gauge cord.. the cord is a little heavier but the motor will last a lot longer. I've been intentionally leaving my bag open and letting the shredded leaves just Land wherever..

[@janiebryant8068]

I love your philosophy. It just affirms what we do here with so many leaves from our woods and from the leaves from three mammoth trees in the yard. They mulch flower beds perfectly and I also like that your gardens are not perfect, yet functional and lovely. Thank you for the content.

[@jonathanpruitt7393]

I'd love to see an update video on that Rosemary bush. It looks really happy in that spot.

[@SMElder-iy6fl]

I have finally realized that i have no talent whatever for perfection. As i get older I'm relaxing more and more and just watching to see what happens in the garden. I'm hoping for some re-seeding!

[@strongstyleorganics4868]

Doing God's work Jim spreading the good word 🙌

[@SW-nq1bx]

Just spent about 4 or 5 hours yesterday using that same exact Toro vac, sucking up leaves, emptying bag and filled a whole trailer! Got entire front lawn & flower beds cleared of 70 Ft tall oak & Bradford pear plus neighbors leaves. This morning entire lawn is covered again! 😒 Well at least I got some exercise!

[@space4099]

I’ve always kept the leaves from the fall in the yard for many years. However, I grind them up and put them in specific beds where they work. Leaving the leaves in certain areas to clean up in the spring is a Herculaneum task. It can be so overwhelming in the spring with so much to do to have to add taking the leaves out so that your plants can get through the piles of leaves around them. That being said never burned them never hold them away just mulch them up so that they don’t prevent shoots from coming up nice and straight. They also turn into soil quicker that way and feed the plants quicker I find. Leaves are nice if you live in the woods but if you live in the city, it’s kind of messy.

[@BCole83]

I leave my leaves in my garden beds and mulch some of my neighbors leaves as well, but I struggle with what’s enough and what’s too much. What do you think is the appropriate thickness for the leaf layer?

[@katewilliams4289]

Would love to know this as well!

[@ryandmiller]

It would also be good for the ladies and gentlemen to know that this Toro device is quite efficient at sucking acorns out of the lawn and mulching them, at least to the point where the acron can no longer grow into a tree. That is at least true with my Post, Blackjack and Pin Oaks. Maybe don't dry this with a Bur Oak.

[@boc8245]

Excellent. I hope people more take heed to this excellent advice. We can leave the leaves and still maintain a beautiful winter garden.

[@justatitle]

I especially loved the aerial. Great tips! Thank you!

[@chriscoogan2736]

I have that same Toro. Have used the vacuum and mulch configuration a few times for small jobs. It would be a nightmare trying to use it on the entire lawn.

[@erincolleen7436]

Great video, thank you!

[@kristophine4390]

Nature can have a little leaves, as a treat 🥰

[@rhondaboyd5679]

How deep a layer is too deep?

[@Al-ImprovEd2022]

I have that Toro and use it without the bag. Faster. It works even better if you mow first. Any leaves attached to any size branch, even a tiny one will instantly clog it though. That’s why mowing first helps.

[@gardeningwithkirk]

I was scrolling and I saw your video and I like it. From Gardening with kirk

[@gray_f]

I call the fallen leaves gold ✨️ 😊

[@jeaninecelayeta3370]

Don’t know if you can ask two questions, but here it goes; if your property is shaded four months out of year by the redwood trees , how do you choose what plants for sun or shade for perennials? I live in the Pacific northwest coast on the California Oregon border 9b. Things that grow well(naturalized)in our area are hydrangeas, rhododendrons, foxgloves , ferns and fuchsias.

[@MyFocusVaries]

I've heard this discussed on another channel. The area is shaded during the main growing season, so shade perennials are the plants to choose. You could also plant iris reticulata, crocus and daffodil bulbs that will come up before the trees leaf out and the area becomes shaded.

[@bethharper3900]

We are doing the very same thing u are doing Jim today. In the 50’s here in zone 6B. Crazy how mild it is here in mid Dec. and my perennials looks good!

[@thomasnoble1816]

I have a lot less leaves per square foot. It would be great to cover so much of my beds as in your drone shot. I used to process my leaves and compost them in bins. Now I blow them to the beds. I make up the deficit by taking my truck over to the Township and picking up leaf mold just like you described.

[@onetuliptree]

Good topic! I mow/mulch leaves on the lawn, wasn't sure what to do about all the leaves in the beds, leave them or mulch them.

[@lilyw.1788]

Definitely want to shred the leaves if you have clay soil because from experience, I’ve found whole leaves imbedded into the soil for many years. The leaves are intact probably because their outer membrane is somewhat water resistant. Shredding it will break that membrane and will be subjected faster decomposition

[@inspiredtosoar3526]

I read somewhere that ticks live in piles of leaves, so this is a concern for me. I did mulch them with my mower & spread them over the bare soil& it looks so nice but just wondering about the tick issue

[@ivettesantana4319]

i dont get why ppl mess with them. i pick them up and compost them or put in my raised bins or use them to mulch around my plants and they have beautiful colors like a new carpet on the ground. Back when we lived in a trailer, my bf would mow them too. im thinking of mowing here too and trimming them down so they quit blowing so much lol

[@judymckerrow6720]

Thank you Jim. I always leave the leaves, we’re so windy here they all blow away and I don’t have to worry about them. I wouldn’t mind having some leaves to use in my garden though. 🎅🏻🤶🏻🎄💚🙃

[@emmalavenham]

The challenge we have is that our summers here in New England are increasingly wet resulting in a lot of foliar disease. We have chosen our trees primarily for disease resistance and their resilience, but there is nothing we can do about the trees just on the other side of the property line…

[@vickip5275]

I used to leave my leaves for many years. Last year I got a lot of thrips that overwintered in the leaves. They weren’t easy to deal with. Any ideas? Thanks for what you do.

[@joanmacdougall7221]

To chop up leaves I put them in paper leaf bag ,use my battery Rhyobi lawn edger up and down for a minute or two and throw it all back onto the garden.

[@inspiringgardenkorner]

I had heard that leaving heavy leaves in your bed also encourage the not so good bugs to make home and encourage disease. Now I do mulch the leaves and put a light coat on bed and grass. But I guess if your just keeping them there over winter I can see it help keep the bed moist and weeds down

[@gardeningjunkie2267]

Most of the trees on my property are evergreen so I go around and collect leaves from the neighbors. Just imagine the looks I get after they spent a tiring day collecting leaves, just to see me dump them all in my flower beds and around my shrubs. Thankfully by spring they forget about that crazy neighbor and instead start admiring the tulips and roses instead. I also want to add that I don't have a summer compost pile, but I do make one every year just for the winter months. It is primarily made out of leaves, a little alfalfa pellets, and kitchen scraps. The wire panels come from a roll at the big box store, and then get reused with the metal stakes for my tomato plants in the summer. So come spring, the garden starts out strong with all that compost that was made all winter long and I don't have to worry about attracting rats in the warm months.

[@KenGolec]

For dormant perennials in a flower garden, should the leaves be taken off them and mulched to spread around them?

[@gracefulgrowing144]

My leaf mulcher does not pick up rocks or sticks or mulch it has different settings on it I can get my whole yard done quick and it turns the leaves into very small little itty bitty pieces. The size of Confetti.❤❤

[@Hayley-sl9lm]

Hi Jim thank you for helping the mainstream landscaping space think more sustainably. Do you have any advice for those of us that get tons of seed pods with their leaf litter, are their any hacks for separating the seeds? My neighbor has a black locust and the leaf matter is great and breaks down very quickly, but the tree also makes an insane amount of seed pods. I always try to grab as many as I can when they're still in clusters and throw them in the yard debris and I'm almost resigned to just pulling up a locust forest all spring, but if you have any tips that'd be much appreciated! If it was a native tree for my area of the US I'd consider letting some of them stay as nurse plants for my landscape but in my county the tree is on a noxious list.

[@vernellevale2226]

Another great video Jim that’s so informative! Thanks much! Quick question… Do you add compost over the leaves in spring? I’ve added raked leaves to my garden planter and not sure if I need to remove them in spring when I add compost to the beds. Thanks again and hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

[@kso808]

I used to have a yard debris “vacuum.” It was always getting clogged with material other than leaves.

[@BabylonTN]

I have a lot of neighbours who have their leaves bagged up and ready for the city to pick them up. I’m somehow hesitant to get some of them for my own garden because I don’t want to introduce any pests to my plants. Do you think is it safe to grab few bags to mulch my flower beds?

[@donnajoy6951]

That is a great question Waiting to see the answer So many people in my area of Texas (and businesses) bag up their leaves. Wanted to grab some but just never asked.

[@upnorth21]

Excellent video, I've been looking forward to this. I am getting better and better of not being so tidy. Grateful for the natural benefit we get from the leaves. I still am confused though. I do love the look of decorative mulch in summer. I get double ground hardwood. Then I rake away from plants that I want to be nourished by the leaves. This seems cumbersome, but I don't think the soil will benefit from leaves on top of mulch, correct?

[@ArtistRoss]

Thanks!

[@JimPutnam]

Thank you so much!

[@jordanyeager9220]

Zone 8a Milton Florida. I have two 30yr old magnolias that drop huge leaves, would this leaf chopping/mulching apply as well?

[@PNWlawnguy1973]

My Berm has bark chunks as cover around my Perennial plants. Will the leaves break down on top of the bark and make its way down to the soil?

[@cecilleflowerfarm]

Selling my flowers next season and I have to eliminate my leaves from 2 oaks tree in my property. Thrips can overwintered on leaves.

[@brianandtamiolson2330]

Are you waiting for all the leaves to drop then start to do a little bit of yard maintenance and cleanup or are you doing it and the leaves are still falling? I have two trees in my front yard that dump leaves for about two weeks I have to get them up because I don’t want them to kill the lawn and it makes me feel like I’m always picking up leaves for those two weeks.

[@mariensanchez2475]

Good video

[@marleneegan-hm7lr]

What brand of leaf blower is the one you use?

[@oldman1950-w3t]

I try to watch all of your videos and I have never wanted to post a comment on here but there is always a 1st time for every thing. I have been using the same type of shredder that you are showing for the last 6+ years and I must disagree with your statement about the unit that you are using. I have found that if the leaves are damp or wet it is harder to shred them. When dry I have now issues with them. That unit also allows you to blow the leaves off your plants and into into a pile very easily and then change attachments to shred. Speaking of leaf size after shredding, some people may like the coarse look you get from shredding the leaves just one time but I have found that tempting the bag and shredding them a second time you will end up with 95% of the leaves being no bigger than 1/2 inch. This allows them to decompose very fast. Also, there maybe gas units that are more powerful but with climate change it is much better to not be using gas powered equipment whenever possible, like your neighbors electric mower. My unit is used on my property, 1 huge oak, a tulip poplar and 6 other large trees not on my property. It is also use one me neighbors property which has 10 large hickory trees. All of these leave are either used as mulch, composted or spread thinly on the grass after being shredded twice. Again this is my experience from using it for 6+ years!

[@jeaninecelayeta3370]

My husband uses a blower to define pathways and blow off bushes and such. We do have a lot of Pineneedles, but we just bought. chipper and are going to see if that breaks them up a little more speed of the process. We have no deciduous leaves to speak of on our property although I do have a 5 foot redbud in a 20 gallon container that I’ve been nurturing (not so well) for 10 years, we just found our forever home. I received it from the Audubon Society with no tag so I’m not sure what type it is. Would like to plant it but not sure where? I I live in 9B on the Pacific Northwest coast of California right before Oregon border. Our property is shaded for at least 4 months out of the year by Redwood trees. Any suggestions?

[@sedumbean]

Maybe if there is a sunny woodland edge/ understory location on your property? Such a beautiful tree in the spring time.

[@MrMannyboy329]

Had the same blower vac, it burnt up after sucking up the leaves, don’t work to good.

[@ryanfitzpatrick3256]

Amen

[@dylan8285]

Jim I’m cringing you using a rake to get leaves out of plants instead of a blower it’s much easier and less likely to break the plants. Also I do the blower with the leaf grinder method have a massive maple so all the leaves are piled then shredded and put on the beds and veg space to put it to sleep. When the leaves are dry like they were this year it’s crazy how much volume it takes out

[@SamSam-kq6qb]

Looks cold in your neighborhood!

[@ChristinaSokolof]

So I almost cringe at this advice . I’m in zone 5 but every time I’ve tried to leave my leaves , so to speak , I’ve had plants succumb to weird fungus and stalk rot . So , for me , I don’t recommend it 😫

[@schultzestrength]

I wish I had leaves to leave!

[@Matt-kw6gl]

Can’t leave piles of leaves in my yard. Too many ants and ticks. No thanks

[@mykidsaresupercute]

Thank you!