ASHWAUBENON — Leaf pickup begins Monday in the village of Ashwaubenon, and although few leaves have made it to the group yet, the idea of raking doesn’t get too many people excited for fall.
But as more people become focused on the ecology surrounding their home, so too have ideas about how to manage leaves without having to rake them into piles to be hauled away.
The village of Ashwaubenon recently posted the “Green Alternative, Leave ’em lay” method.
- As an alternative to raking leaves to the curb, residents there are encouraged to try mulching moderate amounts of leaves with a lawnmower.
This can be done during normal lawn mowing. Just don’t allow the leaves to mat and make sure that ample grass shows through them.
This will save work and time, add nutrients to your lawn, reduce windblown leaves in your neighborhood, and reduce the amount of labor and fuel needed to use for leaf collection.
2. For those who want to create their own mulch, bag your mown leaves and dump them into a mulch pile in your yard to be used in the springtime in your garden and flower beds.
3. For the truly ambitious, turn your leaf mulch into leaf mold, also know as “gardeners’ gold.” Follow instructions on YouTube HERE.