Tired of raking and bagging the fallen leaves? Are you going deaf from the leaf blower? Then leave those leaves. The leaves will decompose over the winter and help fertilize your soil. Any leaves that are not decomposed in the winter will eventually break down over the spring.
If you insist on a tidy yard, rake the leaves into your flower beds. The leaves make a great mulch in the spring.
Benefits: No green house gases from leaf blower usage.
Your soil will not need synthetic fertilizer.
The leaves will not need to be shipped away by your garbage company, reducing the
carbon emissions.
Drawbacks: Your yard may look untidy until the leaves decompose.
If the leaves are too thick, rain water may not reach the soil.
