Sustainability Spotlight - March 2022 - When It Comes to Garden Clean Up, Procrastination Has Many Benefits
Winter is waning, and on the first warm days of early spring, we might be tempted to get out the rake, lawnmower, or pruners. However, consider a little procrastination. It will be easier on your back and help struggling bumblebees and other native pollinators.
In fall, bumblebee colonies come to their natural end, and newly-mated queens hibernate underground, protected by blankets of vegetation or leaf litter. Leaving logs, leaves, compost heaps, and ground vegetation undisturbed for a few more weeks will protect sleeping queens until they are awakened by rising temperatures.
Many moths and butterflies also overwinter under cover of garden litter. Other critters from salamanders, toads to turtles, birds, and mammals rely on leaf litter for food, shelter, and nesting material.
Leaving leaves in your garden also means you get free fertilizer and mulch—better than you buy. Tree roots draw over a dozen plant nutrients up from the soil and deposit them in leaves. Expensive bags of store fertilizer usually have only three essential nutrients. Decomposing leaves also improve soil structure so that it absorbs and holds more moisture.
Need another reason to leave that rake in the garage? Yard debris sent to landfills can end up as a greenhouse gas. In a landfill, buried organic matter undergoes anaerobic decomposition releasing methane. Landfills are a significant source of man-made methane. Even if your yard debris is taken to a composting facility, carbon dioxide is generated by cars and trucks used for transport.
So be lazy this spring; leave those leaves in your garden beds. Your yard will be greener, with fewer weeds, and you just might see more bees, birds, and other wildlife. If you can’t resist a date with a rake, wait until late spring and mulch that garden gold into your lawn using a mulching mower.
Further Reading
To learn more about bumblebee habitat visit https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org
Read a blog about Leave the Leaves to Benefit Wildlife
Learn more about Nesting & Overwintering Habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects
Wondering what to do in spring? Don’t spring into garden cleanup too soon!
More about Sustainable Wheat Ridge
Sustainable Wheat Ridge is a resident-led committee that was established in 2018 to provide the city with recommendations to enhance the environmental sustainability of Wheat Ridge. Included in these recommendations are goals around preserving Wheat Ridge’s agricultural history, improving energy and water efficiency practices, and establishing partnerships to support local food production. Check out the full Sustainable Wheat Ridge action plan here!
