Should you rake, mulch or leave your leaves this fall?

Every October the same question comes in: do the leaves have to go? The honest answer depends on how many you have and where they land.

Mulch them in place

A light layer on the lawn can be mowed into small pieces and left. They break down over the winter and feed the soil. The test is simple: after mowing, you should be able to see grass through the shreds.

Move them to the beds

Shredded leaves make a good winter mulch under shrubs and around perennials. Keep them a few inches back from stems and trunks.

When to remove them

A thick, wet mat left on turf through the winter blocks light and holds moisture against the grass, which is how you end up with bare patches in April. Under big oaks and maples that is most yards, and that is when a full removal pays for itself.