2 ms·

I rent, and what kills me is listening to it interrupt my meetings and/or my ability to think and thinking to myself, "I'm paying, indirectly, for this service

I rent, and what kills me is listening to it interrupt my meetings and/or my ability to think and thinking to myself, "I'm paying, indirectly, for this service that I don't want. I'd rather they just leave the leaves me, and we can all just enjoy fall before maybe doing one leaf blow at the end of the season, or something." But somewhere there is a property manager who wants to have a "pristine"¹ looking property 365 days a year. ¹(for some definition of that … I think fall is beautiful, the sounds of leaves crunching under one's footfalls, the changing colors.)

theossuary 3y ago
When I got into gardening I learned to leave some leaves around through the winter. The good bugs in your yard need a safe place to hibernate, and it's really important to provide them small microbiomes in so they'll be there to keep things healthy in the spring. So don't clean your garden/yard too much in the fall, and definitely not after the temps get cold enough that bugs will be hibernating in those leaves. Also don't clean up in the spring till nightly temperatures are consistently about like 50° F. It's okay to clean up before last harvest and get rid of some stuff, but please try to keep some piles of leaves/dead plants around for the little critters. Of course don't keep leaves around of plants that are prone to disease, get fruit tree leaves out of your yard as soon as possible, for example.
- datavirtue 3y ago
  As I read this, a snow blower fires up.
- b112 3y ago
  Yes! Also in the spring, I see so many birds migrating land in flocks (eg, 20+ robins), and start overturning those leaves looking for food. The ground is still frozen, bugs are not flying, but there they are ... waiting to be consumed. (Naturally the robins and such don't get them all, so it serves a dual purpose.)
cafard 3y ago
Only in the fall? A lot of lawn crews like to blow the grass off sidewalks after they mow.

theossuary 3y ago

When I got into gardening I learned to leave some leaves around through the winter. The good bugs in your yard need a safe place to hibernate, and it's really important to provide them small microbiomes in so they'll be there to keep things healthy in the spring. So don't clean your garden/yard too much in the fall, and definitely not after the temps get cold enough that bugs will be hibernating in those leaves. Also don't clean up in the spring till nightly temperatures are consistently about like 50° F. It's okay to clean up before last harvest and get rid of some stuff, but please try to keep some piles of leaves/dead plants around for the little critters. Of course don't keep leaves around of plants that are prone to disease, get fruit tree leaves out of your yard as soon as possible, for example.

datavirtue 3y ago
As I read this, a snow blower fires up.
b112 3y ago
Yes! Also in the spring, I see so many birds migrating land in flocks (eg, 20+ robins), and start overturning those leaves looking for food. The ground is still frozen, bugs are not flying, but there they are ... waiting to be consumed. (Naturally the robins and such don't get them all, so it serves a dual purpose.)

cafard 3y ago

Only in the fall? A lot of lawn crews like to blow the grass off sidewalks after they mow.