Should you break out the rake or leave the leaves?

At this point in the season, a lot of our fall color has moved from above our heads to below our feet as trees begin to shed their leaves - but is it best to rake the leaves or leave them be?

There are perks to both sides of the argument - raking allows more sun to be able to reach your lawn, letting the grass grow back in healthily once Spring hits. Also, letting leaves sit can clog storm drains and result in mold growth, so removing them from your lawn helps to prevent that.

But leaving the leaves has its benefits too - the most obvious one being that it’s less work, but it can also provide nutrients to plants in your yard and preserve soil moisture during the winter months. Leaves also provide a home to local wildlife and insects such as ladybugs, fireflies, and small animals.

So which method is better? If the leaf cover is fairly sparse, you can leave it alone - but for those with a leaf-covered lawn, the best option is to tread somewhere in the middle. Rake your leaves if the leaf cover is dense, but rather than get rid of them, keep them to strategically use around your yard by mulching or composting.

That way you can still get many of the benefits that leaves provide without dealing with the drawbacks.