Ecological garden – Whether to rake leaves?
Don't rake leaves from the garden
Many people are convinced that cleaning the leaves from the lawn is necessary. Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t rake leaves. From an ecological point of view, leaving them in the garden has more advantages than disadvantages.
Benefits of leaving leaves in the garden:
Increase biodiversity
Leaves left in the garden serve as shelter for small animals that help control pests and pollinate plants. Small animals contribute to the ecological balance in the garden. Providing shelter for amphibians, reptiles insects and small mammals is especially important for those who care about wildlife and biodiversity in their backyard.
Keep humidity
The layer of leaves helps retain water and maintain moisture in the soil and reduce evaporation, which is especially important in dry periods. Plants have access to more water and are able to survive in harsher conditions. As a result, we water the garden less often and can save money on watering.
Improve soil fertility
Leaves that decompose in the soil release nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which are essential for healthy plant growth.
Saving time and money
Raking leaves is a time-consuming activity that requires a lot of effort. If you have a large garden it can take many hours of work. Raking and removing leaves may require the use of additional tools such as blowers, which need to be purchased.
Organic mulch
Where possible, it is a good idea to mulch the leaves. It is enough to run the mower over the layer of leaves several times to shred them into small fragments. The resulting natural mulch will perform the same functions as bark or wood chips. It is great for mulching vegetable gardens or flower beds. This will get rid of weeds.
