Good news for homeowners! All those hours you spend each fall raking and bagging leaves before the first snowfall? The National Wildlife Federation recommends that you should just leave the leaves where they fall.
Fallen leaves can provide valuable nutrients that nourish grass and gardens. Instead of raking and disposing of this natural fertilizer, mulch leaves on your lawn quickly and easily by running them over a few times with your lawn mower—this will effectively and inexpensively fortify the soil and keep your lawn healthy.
If part of your yard is wooded, don’t do anything and just leave the leaves where they fall – not only will they decompose and nourish the soil, they’ll provide food, shelter, and nesting material for wildlife and insects.
One place leaves don’t belong is your gutters. Use the time you saved on raking to clean out your gutters so water can flow through them throughout the winter. Keep your newly cleaned gutters clear by installing gutter guards, an easy do-it-yourself afternoon project that keep out leaves and debris. Frost King’s Plastic Mesh Gutter Guard is easy to install – you just cut it into sections and put each section in place between the gutter and the fascia (where the roof meets the outer edge of the house). Check out our whole line of gutter accessories here.
