Soon all of those green leaves will turn yellow, red, or orange, and then brown, and then drop to cover yards. But what then? Rake them into a pile and burn them? Rake them to the curb and let the city suck ‘em up into a truck? Ignore them and let the wind redistribute them to your neighbor’s yard? Mow them into mulch?
For those inclined to enjoy the time-honored tradition of burning leaves, the City of Solon allows open burning of leaves and yard waste Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from October 1 through Nov. 25, and again in the spring from April 1 through May 25.
For those concerned with creating air pollution through the incineration of their leaves, they may be taken to the compost pile behind the City Shop (1031 Stinocher Street) at no cost. The City reminds those taking their leaves and yard waste to not leave bags there, and to only dump them in the area clearly marked for leaves or yard waste.
If you just want to rake them to the curb and let the City deal with them, leaf pickup is on Mondays in October and November. The City requests the leaves be at the curb by 7:30 a.m.
On a related note, if you have a pile of branches from fall tree trimming, the City will haul it away the first Monday of each month, April through November. Residents should neatly place the brush and branches alongside the curb by 7:30 a.m. Please note, the city will not pick up branches more than eight inches in diameter, nor longer than 15’.
The City will only take twigs and branches, no grass clippings, stumps, garden waste, rocks, sod, leaves (see above for the City’s leaf sucking service), bushes, or lumber. Johnson County Refuse will pick up all types of yard waste (leaves, sod, grass clippings, bushes, and garden waste) if there is a YARD WASTE sticker (available for $1.25 each) on each bag (up to 39-gallon capacity) with a 40-pound limit. Johnson County Refuse will pick up the bags Fridays with the regular garbage collection.
But, I don’t want to do any of that, what then?
If none of the above options appeal to you, and you wish to turn a blind eye to the blanket of leaves, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has your back with an ecological excuse.
According to the NWF, conservationists claim leaf blowers, trucks, and bags of leaves going to landfills are all harmful to the environment and rob your garden of nutrients while destroying wildlife habitat.
Editor’s note: Your neighbor may be a good guy, but might be less than impressed with your environmental savvy, especially after raking YOUR leaves out of his yard.
The NWF recommends letting the leaves alone, saying leaves form a natural mulch, which helps suppress weeds and fertilizes the soil as they decompose. Also, various creatures depend on leaves for food, shelter, and nesting material. This reporter has watched a squirrel raiding a leaf pile and then scurrying to his home in a neighbor’s eaves, evidently using the leaves as insulation and bedding for a comfy nest. In addition the NWF says many moth and butterfly caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves.
The NWF’s recommendations are as follows:
• Let leaves stay where they fall (you can mulch them with a mower).
• Rake leaves off of your lawn but use them as mulch in garden beds. For a finer-textured mulch, shred them first.
• Let leaf piles decompose. The resulting leaf mold can be used as a soil amendment to improve structure and water retention.
• Make your own compost by combining fallen leaves with grass clippings. Keep this moist and well mixed for a nutrient-rich compost for your garden next spring.
• Share them with your neighbors – not by letting the wind relocate them, but by offering them for use as noted above.
• Build a brush shelter with branches, sticks, stems, and leaves for native wildlife to occupy.