Should you rake your leaves this fall? Here’s why some experts say no

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Leaf duty may be getting a reprieve after lawn and wildlife experts say it’s better to leave them rather than bagging them up.

In New England, the only thing worse than shoveling is raking. But do you leave the leaves or bag them up? Spencer Curtis was at his son’s house in Framingham where the leaves cover the lawn. “He is a little lazy I would say. He waits for his father to come,” said Curtis.

Bagging up all these leaves may not be the best rule of thumb anymore. The National Audubon Society says every year about 8 million tons of fallen leaves end up in landfills. Instead, tree experts say instead of leaving your yard leaf-free like this consider mulching your leaf-covered yard. We met up with Leo Simkins, a certified arborist. “Leaving the leaves and trying to mulch them in there is going to help improve the soil and add nutrients back to the soil,” said Simkins.

The secret is to make sure the leaves aren’t caked onto the yard like this. There are things you can do so you don’t have to bag them. “Your lawn mower is going to chop them up into little pieces and that will them fall into the grass and let the grass come up through the chopped-up leaves,” said Simkins.

To every kid at home thinking this is a new excuse to get out of raking duty, you may want to think again. “They still have to go over it with the mower and mulch it in so you can still make them work for it,” said Simkins.

Another good tactic is leaving some of your leaves around bushes and trees going into winter. Tree experts say you can still make piles and jump into them and then mulch later.

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