kidcoffee wrote :

The leaves in upstate NY are already insane. So pretty, but I confess I am not looking forward to raking.
-end quote

Don't rake. Just leave them there. Why do you think they're called leaves? They are supposed to decompose and become part of the soil.

shakin steak wrote :

kidcoffee wrote :


The leaves in upstate NY are already insane. So pretty, but I confess I am not looking forward to raking.
-end quote

Don't rake. Just leave them there. Why do you think they're called leaves? They are supposed to decompose and become part of the soil.
-end quote

With an argument this airtight I would be doing the soil a disservice if I did rake. Now to convince the wife.

I pretty much never rake leaves with the exception of one lone tree on the hill behind our house, so the kids can run, jump, slide, and ride push cars through them.

kidcoffee wrote :

With an argument this airtight I would be doing the soil a disservice if I did rake. Now to convince the wife.
-end quote

I'm sure you don't live in a forest, but tell her about ecosystems.

My yard had no trees when I bought the house, so I planted seeds. I have two trees now, but they're still small. I go out of my way to import the leaves that other people rake.

Unfortunately we have far more than two. If we only had two I would never rake again, but whilst not technically a forest, it's close. Enough so that if I didn't rake at all I would probably drown in leaves trying to get to my car. On the flip side maybe this year I can bag some and sell them on ebay to the eco conscience treeless looking to help better their soil. It would be a win win. I can help the earth whilst making enough to buy more toys.

kidcoffee wrote :

Unfortunately we have far more than two. If we only had two I would never rake again, but whilst not technically a forest, it's close.
 -end quote

I'm jealous. I would still not rake. But I don't think anybody would buy them. Maybe if you processed them and packaged them nicely as "all-natural mulch" but that's a cheap product and would take a lot of time to do at home, not worth it at all.

How big is your yard(s)? Mine is only 20x40. Well, that's the downside of living in the city.

In all honesty I would be far too lazy to bag them, let alone try and sell them on ebay, but it's a nice thought. As for our yard, it's quite large, but we live in a farmhouse deep in the country. I know when most people hear NY they think city, but we're actually tucked away off the grid. It's nice, especially in fall, but sometimes I do miss the bustle of the city.

I've always wanted a yard that's all pine needles. No need to rake ever. I could care less what the lawn looks like as long as it's not over grown. 

I can't wait to wear flannel shirts and blue jeans again.

Fall=pumpkin spice products, and pumpkin spice products means pumpkin beer.