Take It or Leaf It

Making the Most of Fall Yard Clean-Up

As cooler temperatures take hold, our landscapes and gardens begin to surrender to winter. Flopping plants and falling leaves can cause your yard to be a bit untidy, and most people reach for hedge trimmers, leaf blowers and lawn bags. However, there is a more sustainable approach to fall leaf cleanup.

Following a spectacular display of autumnal color, leaves fall as the trees prepare for winter rest. Fallen leaves are frequently blown or raked from the yard, which could deprive a yard of valuable nutrients for your lawn and flower beds. Consider the following alternatives:

Mowing

Tree roots efficiently remove nutrients from the soil, but their leaves are rich in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and can be recycled as free fertilizer. Mowing is the easiest and least labor-intensive way to sustainably recycle leaves. Mow over leaves with a mulching lawn mower, distributing shed leaf pieces into the grass without smothering it. Approximately one-half inch of grass should still be visible. Leaf pieces should be close to the size of a dime after mulching, which could take more than one pass with your mower. Microbes and earthworms then help break down leaves, adding important organic nutrients to your lawn. Leaves will be gone by the spring, and this free fertilizer option will reward you with a green lawn when spring returns.

Mulching and Soil Improvement

Using leaves as mulch for your flower beds takes a bit more work, but they are a great soil conditioner when added to perennial beds, vegetable gardens and tree islands. Once leaves are mulched with a mower, move them to the edges of flower beds, gardens or trees. You can also fill a plastic trash can half full with leaves and use your string weed trimmer to shred leaves inside the trash can. This works best with dry leaves. Electric leaf shredders are also available. Place a thin layer of shredded leaf mulch evenly around these areas. A two-inch layer of leaf mulch is enough to suppress weeds, retain water and insulate the soil from temperature changes.

Mulched leaves can also be cultivated into the first four to six inches of soil to improve soil composition. Adding a little organic granular fertilizer to the soil after working in the leaves will help speed the decomposition process.

Composting

Composting is another great way to put those fallen leaves to good use. Compost is a dark, nutrient-rich organic matter that has gone through decomposition. Good compost composition includes both “green and brown” elements; Green materials, such as vegetable scraps, add a boost of microbes to jump-start decomposition. Leaves fall into the “brown” category, adding steady amounts of nitrogen-rich matter to your compost bin.

Not all leaves are created equal, however. Oak leaves should be used sparingly in compost, as they will raise the overall acidity of your compost. Walnut and Buckeye leaves should be avoided altogether. Composting is the most time-intensive process and takes a watchful eye, but the end product is a nutrient-packed amendment for your landscape. The Franklin County Soil Water and Conservation District features a wealth of information on composting on its website and offers a rebate on approved compost bin purchases.

Residents may take advantage of the City’s free composting program www.westerville.org/composting.

Traditional Leaf Collection

The City’s Public Service Department crews manage the annual leaf collection program, which runs from mid-October to mid-December. This year, leaf collection moves into a weekly, three-zone service model. A postcard will arrive in resident mailboxes in late September with zone assignments.

For traditional curbside collection, leaves should be raked to the tree lawn (between the sidewalk and the street) but not in the street. To ensure efficient and economical leaf removal, leaves should be free of large sticks, twigs, and any trash or debris that could damage the City’s leaf collection equipment or cause injuries to personnel. When possible, avoid parking vehicles in front of or close to leaves during the designated collection weeks. Any obstructions, such as basketball hoops, should be removed from the right-of-way, as they pose safety hazards and can impede collection. Make sure that your leaves are placed in a paper or biodegradable bag or in your yard waste container to ensure collection.

City Sustainability Efforts

If you don’t choose to utilize your leaves for your own yard, you can be assured the City has procedures in place so those leaves avoid the landfill. When collected through the City’s program, leaves are taken to Kurtz Bros. Mulch and Soils, a near-Westerville landscaping company, to be turned into mulch. In 2022, more than 5,800 cubic feet of leaves were collected around the City and turned into organic mulch through this process.

Green Cleanup Tips

Use rakes and hand tools instead of gas-powered leaf blowers. This also doubles as great exercise.

Invest in electric-powered lawnmowers, string trimmers and blowers.

Leave a few out-of-the-way leaf piles untouched in your yard and flowerbeds. Many beneficial pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, over winter in this leaf litter.

Leave the seed heads of perennials such as coneflower, sedum and black-eyed Susan to ripen, providing a valuable winter food source for birds.

Plant spring-blooming bulbs in the fall to provide an early nectar source for pollinators.

For additional information on the City’s leaf collection program, visit www.westerville.org/leafcollection.

Leaf Collection Program Begins Monday, Oct. 16. For more information, visit www.westerville.org/leafcollection.