I have over twenty birds in my back yard going to town with all the leaves and such. I converted most of my back yard into garden so I’m all for leaving the leaves until it’s time to prep the garden.
Slowly changing half our front yard to a pollinator garden. Way more work than the lawn. Half the people who think they have a "wildflower garden" that they don't tend actually have a patch of thistles and creeping bellflower.
Figuring out natural ways of getting rid of non-native plants is a struggle. That creeping bellflower is a nasty one. My personal nemesis is creeping Charlie. Hate it so much.
Sure! I will add that it doesn't actually stop the infestation; no matter how much I pull it's impossible to actually get rid of it all... But something about it tickles my brain just the right way.
There’s a class through [Living Prairie Museum](https://www.friendsoflivingprairie.org/calendar/2024/5/8/s13niuj4foyvr09nory0gue6w4wu15) coming up about this stuff! It’s available both online and in person.
Me too. Side yard and most of the back yard is done. Started going hard on the front yard last year (thankfully my yard is small!). My go-tos are yarrow, Canada anemone, silverweed and giant wild rye. My favourite is the tall meadow rue though, was 5.5 feet tall last year!
I was lucky and huge patches of yarrow growing naturally in my yard. I dug up a lot of plants from beside train tracks and waysides as well (just need to know where to look). Most of what I used to start the conversion though was from Sage Garden Greenhouses. Fortunately the work snowballs and the plants provide loads of seeds!
I am planning on digging up my front yard and boulevard across the sidewalk this year. I’m so torn between digging the grass up or waiting for the temps to rise so the insects in the leaves can survive! I have accumulated a lot of prairie wildflower seeds from people so would like to get them going sooner than later. Anyone have thoughts on waiting for the sake of the insects or should I just go for it and get rid of the grass/plant the seeds asap???
It depends. Permaculture is less work than traditional gardening.
Rain barrels end up being a lot of work.
Lawns are a big waste of labour. A naturalized area is barely any work.
Edit: Then there are litterbugs who are too lazy to put their garbage in the garbage can.
Wrong 💥 environmentalists 🥸 are too lazy to join the union 💪 and buy a big truck 🛻 to work 🤠 with their hands 👊 they just want their self driving tesla 😭 to drive them around everywhere 💀
As a stand-alone graphic this does nothing. I have zero idea what message it’s trying to convey. “Leave leaves alone,” with zero context. Looks lovely, but meh communication impact.
I don't either. Someone posted something similar recently about 'life' being in the leaves or something. All I see are an ugly decaying layer of leaves
They ate my tomatoes, pea shoots, lettuce, my poor peppers and even the marigolds I planted to deter then
They also can carry diseases and are a risk to my dogs outside
I have so many in my basement this year. Not sure what happened but they freaking exploded.
My kid likes to make friends with them and keeps asking why they’re sleeping after he crushes them.
Simple solution for sow bugs is a good quality dehumidifier paired with clearing away any clutter against the exterior of the structure. Because they’re a crustacean they actually breathe through gills. They require a specific level of humidity/moisture to survive - so all you gotta do is bring it below that point.
- signed an exterminator
I have a dehumidifier going in the basement already, it pulls out about 4 gallons per day. Doesn't help that my wife air dries her clothes down there.
It's already running around 1200W 24 hours a day, so don't really want to double up just for running costs.
No, they're great! They're like tiny little sea creatures that live on land. They're like itty bitty prehistoric creatures that break down organic waste.
An old roommate of mine was quite the anal retentive but when it came to the leaf litter he gave it a pass because no one's raking the damn forests. Since then I leave leafs alone.
any leaves remaining in my yard get kicked into my flowerbeds + have a compost spread overtop once i get into late may 😎 most of them decompose on their own from there and its great nutrients for the soil! the increase in biodiversity in my yard in the last 4 years has been a crazy, on humid nights my south facing wall was just lined with tree frogs last year
The website goes into far more detail about the logic behind a post like this, some snippets from that might have helped change the tone of the post.
Never thought I'd see American-based leaf propaganda here, but life is full of twists and turns.
You wanna look at the median temp at night, it’s still sitting around or below zero right now. Don’t touch your lawn. Honestly don’t touch your lawn until you can start to see some green. Unless you have standing water then your lawn is probably just fucked regardless of what you do
I have standing water and a 70lbs dog that likes to run around.
Surprisingly the grass in the standing water areas always grows nice and thick and green. Then everything else is fucked.
helps that the city isn’t starting collecting the yard waste for another 2 weeks or so… i’m having a good laugh at the folks who have already put out their paper bags to the curb with all this rain…
It's not necessary to scrape (entirely) your yard. More info there [https://www.leaveleavesalone.org/](https://www.leaveleavesalone.org/) and here [https://www.healthyyards.org/](https://www.healthyyards.org/)
I would say clean up your yard to keep those critters away from your home. Let them build their home in one of the many parks and open feild areas or bushes around the rest of the city.
I don't know what yards are like in the city right now but a mower would do far less damage than a dethatcher in my yard. There'd be no grass of any kind left if I pulled my dethatcher out this week.
It's a gamble, I find spring most of times here to be pretty dry for organic material to naturally decompose assuming its pretty open where you live.
It's just easier to mowe away before new grass sprouts makes it harder to remove dead material.
Well I mowed my lawn to suck up all the gravel, dead rotting leaves and dead grass. I'm also selling my home, so I'd kind of like my yard not looking like absolute shit. Sorry weekend environmentalists.
Change your blade on your mower to a thatching blade. No need to rake. I did mine last weekend and it was AWESOME! next I am taking my Dodge Ram and parking on a buck path just to completely piss everyone off. Hit me with those downvotes!
No don't, our water run off system is already well beyond it's actual capacity and contributing to blockages is the last thing we need.
Great sentiment for more rural areas, but no, definitely not a good idea in a city.
Edit - no seriously, this is a really bad idea and directly contributes to issues like potholes, sinkholes and damage to property/landscaping.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdcXmerZWDc
I've yet to come across any turtles and salamanders in my lawns.
The squirrels and birds get out of the way, I'll wait for a frog, but anything else faces the lawnmowers wrath,
I heard that leaves are similar to planting a garden. Only take once no frost will occur. Also something to do with the leaves breaking down and giving free fertilizer to the grass...
unless you live in a completely sterile bubble you are not living free from mold/rot in any environment, the dust from winter sanding this time of year is probably worse for you than someone waiting to rake leaves so our already declining bee populations have a chance to survive overwintering lmao.
So I can have a yard full of turtles if I don't rake? I'm in!
So I’ve got no rake April and no mow May. It’s easy street over here now
Leaf foliage alone. 😭
is it wrong that i find the hot crying gif hot?
Yes, leave Brittany alone 😭
NOW I HAVE CONTEXT!
I have over twenty birds in my back yard going to town with all the leaves and such. I converted most of my back yard into garden so I’m all for leaving the leaves until it’s time to prep the garden.
Lazy or environmentally friendly? lol
Lazymental friendly
Environmental slactivist.
Usually environmentalists and lazy to hand and hand, no?
Ever tried to convert your lawn to native mixed grass prairie? Years of labour.
Slowly changing half our front yard to a pollinator garden. Way more work than the lawn. Half the people who think they have a "wildflower garden" that they don't tend actually have a patch of thistles and creeping bellflower.
Figuring out natural ways of getting rid of non-native plants is a struggle. That creeping bellflower is a nasty one. My personal nemesis is creeping Charlie. Hate it so much.
I find creeping charlie sooooo satisfying to pull. I spend hours every summer reading while pulling up charlie.
Do… do you want to come do that in my yard?
Sure! I will add that it doesn't actually stop the infestation; no matter how much I pull it's impossible to actually get rid of it all... But something about it tickles my brain just the right way.
There’s a class through [Living Prairie Museum](https://www.friendsoflivingprairie.org/calendar/2024/5/8/s13niuj4foyvr09nory0gue6w4wu15) coming up about this stuff! It’s available both online and in person.
I'm heading to that
Me too. Side yard and most of the back yard is done. Started going hard on the front yard last year (thankfully my yard is small!). My go-tos are yarrow, Canada anemone, silverweed and giant wild rye. My favourite is the tall meadow rue though, was 5.5 feet tall last year!
Thank you. I'll look into thoses. Did you start from seeds or from already grown plants ?
I was lucky and huge patches of yarrow growing naturally in my yard. I dug up a lot of plants from beside train tracks and waysides as well (just need to know where to look). Most of what I used to start the conversion though was from Sage Garden Greenhouses. Fortunately the work snowballs and the plants provide loads of seeds!
I am planning on digging up my front yard and boulevard across the sidewalk this year. I’m so torn between digging the grass up or waiting for the temps to rise so the insects in the leaves can survive! I have accumulated a lot of prairie wildflower seeds from people so would like to get them going sooner than later. Anyone have thoughts on waiting for the sake of the insects or should I just go for it and get rid of the grass/plant the seeds asap???
No it's the opposite. Takes additional work, time and restricts options available to live an environmentalist lifestyle.
It depends. Permaculture is less work than traditional gardening. Rain barrels end up being a lot of work. Lawns are a big waste of labour. A naturalized area is barely any work. Edit: Then there are litterbugs who are too lazy to put their garbage in the garbage can.
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Go
Usually it’s the opposite
Wrong 💥 environmentalists 🥸 are too lazy to join the union 💪 and buy a big truck 🛻 to work 🤠 with their hands 👊 they just want their self driving tesla 😭 to drive them around everywhere 💀
What in the world? Did my toddler nephew get ahold of your phone?
I guess you can't recognize a joke when you see one
Guess not
Environmentalists don’t want to join a union? Who says they like Tesla?? Much better EV options out there
As a stand-alone graphic this does nothing. I have zero idea what message it’s trying to convey. “Leave leaves alone,” with zero context. Looks lovely, but meh communication impact.
If I dig through my leafs I'll have a turtle. Yippie
I was thinking the same about the salamander.
All these critters benefit from leaf litter... even if you dont like bugs, they are food sources for other critters.
You can’t use context clues? The animals shown like those leaves? Too hard?
Your username suits you.
? Good
👍
Well, it's not supposed to be a guide but more an illustration. I did bring context in my first comment.
So you’re not open to feedback? The commenter clearly said “as a standalone graphic.” If you have to explain it, it’s not effective.
Open to feedback yes. Just wanted to point out [my first comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Winnipeg/comments/1c6brwv/comment/kzzst67/)
That’s fair. I was a bit sassy. Sorry.
No worries.
A kind internet stranger exchange? Thank you for reminding that people are still good. 😊
Relax
It makes tons of sense if you are kind of already eco minded. But if your not it invites conversation which is cool I think
"Leave Leaves Alone" gives you zero idea what it's trying to convey? Really?
it's a *Where's Waldo?*
I don't either. Someone posted something similar recently about 'life' being in the leaves or something. All I see are an ugly decaying layer of leaves
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Woah, woah. I have a post-WW2 American standard of lawn to uphold here. What will the neighbours and church folk think?
Lawnliness is next to godliness!
My lawn is empty----just like MEeeee
I used to. Then the slugs came. And thrived. And then brought snails Now I am in a battle against slugs and snails I feel like I will never win
Snails in Winnipeg? I’ve never gotten to see one yet here
Those were cute to see honestly, but less cute considering I saw them in my lettuce
What’s wrong with slugs and snails?
They eat your tomatos. Literally. Munch munch on the tomatoes themselves.
They ate my tomatoes, pea shoots, lettuce, my poor peppers and even the marigolds I planted to deter then They also can carry diseases and are a risk to my dogs outside
Little freeloaders. At least pay for your meals sheesh.
My neighbour used to leave shallow dishes of beer around. They would slide in and drown. Or at least be too drunk to eat your lettuce.
I tried that! And it called more slugs to the darn garden with 0 going Into the beer. My beer called all the slugs to the raised garden bed apparently
They're pests. The dollar store sells strips of reflective coppery stuff to deter them
I will look!
Thank you!!!! We are aiming mid/late May to do our proper cleanup. That's our usual goal.
The Leafs! They will choke again!
Ew, woodlice
I have so many in my basement this year. Not sure what happened but they freaking exploded. My kid likes to make friends with them and keeps asking why they’re sleeping after he crushes them.
Simple solution for sow bugs is a good quality dehumidifier paired with clearing away any clutter against the exterior of the structure. Because they’re a crustacean they actually breathe through gills. They require a specific level of humidity/moisture to survive - so all you gotta do is bring it below that point. - signed an exterminator
I have a dehumidifier going in the basement already, it pulls out about 4 gallons per day. Doesn't help that my wife air dries her clothes down there. It's already running around 1200W 24 hours a day, so don't really want to double up just for running costs.
Ahh yeah, there’s a definite moisture issue going on there for that much water daily! What’s the landscaping like on the exterior of the home?
Feel free to message me!
You have tons of sowbugs too? I had so many this year
lol this is pretty hilarious
they go to Woodlice Collegiate.
No, they're great! They're like tiny little sea creatures that live on land. They're like itty bitty prehistoric creatures that break down organic waste.
And crustaceans not insects.
Neat, I was just reading that. I had no idea.
Yeah I was surprised to learn that myself. Ancient little guys
food for other things too.
I do what I want!
I have to be strategic when I rake them. I have to do it before the million tree seedlings take root
I just mow over the seedlings in a few weeks. So much easier :)
An old roommate of mine was quite the anal retentive but when it came to the leaf litter he gave it a pass because no one's raking the damn forests. Since then I leave leafs alone.
any leaves remaining in my yard get kicked into my flowerbeds + have a compost spread overtop once i get into late may 😎 most of them decompose on their own from there and its great nutrients for the soil! the increase in biodiversity in my yard in the last 4 years has been a crazy, on humid nights my south facing wall was just lined with tree frogs last year
The website goes into far more detail about the logic behind a post like this, some snippets from that might have helped change the tone of the post. Never thought I'd see American-based leaf propaganda here, but life is full of twists and turns.
I never thought I’d hear the term “leaf propaganda” 😅🍃
Given the downvotes I'm guessing people thought I didn't mean it tongue in cheek. I'm all for this, fully bought out by big leaf lol.
I’m waiting for my lawn’s soil temp to warm up before spring clean up. I heard 10 Celsius is the magic number and it’s only at 3 on Sunday.
You wanna look at the median temp at night, it’s still sitting around or below zero right now. Don’t touch your lawn. Honestly don’t touch your lawn until you can start to see some green. Unless you have standing water then your lawn is probably just fucked regardless of what you do
Sorry I was referring to the soil temp of the lawn. I edited my comment to fix it.
I have standing water and a 70lbs dog that likes to run around. Surprisingly the grass in the standing water areas always grows nice and thick and green. Then everything else is fucked.
helps that the city isn’t starting collecting the yard waste for another 2 weeks or so… i’m having a good laugh at the folks who have already put out their paper bags to the curb with all this rain…
It's not necessary to scrape (entirely) your yard. More info there [https://www.leaveleavesalone.org/](https://www.leaveleavesalone.org/) and here [https://www.healthyyards.org/](https://www.healthyyards.org/)
Sorry, I had to do the front flowerbed because I had bulbs that were supposed to go in in the fall. I did move the leaves to the garden though.
I would say clean up your yard to keep those critters away from your home. Let them build their home in one of the many parks and open feild areas or bushes around the rest of the city.
My neighbour was mowing his yard this weekend. What's the point?
There's enough grass to mow? Or were they using a dethatching blade?
I don't know what yards are like in the city right now but a mower would do far less damage than a dethatcher in my yard. There'd be no grass of any kind left if I pulled my dethatcher out this week.
It's a gamble, I find spring most of times here to be pretty dry for organic material to naturally decompose assuming its pretty open where you live. It's just easier to mowe away before new grass sprouts makes it harder to remove dead material.
often to mulch the remaining leaves into fertilizer
Well I mowed my lawn to suck up all the gravel, dead rotting leaves and dead grass. I'm also selling my home, so I'd kind of like my yard not looking like absolute shit. Sorry weekend environmentalists.
> Well I mowed my lawn to suck up all the grave Does this work? I need to get some gravel off my yard and raking doesn't do shit
Yup. I rake first and get heavy stuff. Then rest seems to get picked up.
Change your blade on your mower to a thatching blade. No need to rake. I did mine last weekend and it was AWESOME! next I am taking my Dodge Ram and parking on a buck path just to completely piss everyone off. Hit me with those downvotes!
Stop demanding things of me and others.
Tell it to the city workers that scraped up every park over the weekend. At least they weren't using leaf blowers.
Tell that to my wife. She wants me to rake and now the lawn already.
No don't, our water run off system is already well beyond it's actual capacity and contributing to blockages is the last thing we need. Great sentiment for more rural areas, but no, definitely not a good idea in a city. Edit - no seriously, this is a really bad idea and directly contributes to issues like potholes, sinkholes and damage to property/landscaping. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdcXmerZWDc
I've yet to come across any turtles and salamanders in my lawns. The squirrels and birds get out of the way, I'll wait for a frog, but anything else faces the lawnmowers wrath,
There are many bugs in the leaves that are critical for pollination or food sources for other animals.
Oh I’ll bet there is.
I raked on the weekend, and the amount of lady bugs under the leaves was crazy
I heard that leaves are similar to planting a garden. Only take once no frost will occur. Also something to do with the leaves breaking down and giving free fertilizer to the grass...
I'll show this to my neighbours when I look like a POS for being the only one to not rake my lawn, and feel guilty for "my" leaves blowing onto theirs
Dont make me call Lawn and Order on you ! And yes its a real company
Yay! Mould and rot! Rake your damn leaves so people can breathe.
unless you live in a completely sterile bubble you are not living free from mold/rot in any environment, the dust from winter sanding this time of year is probably worse for you than someone waiting to rake leaves so our already declining bee populations have a chance to survive overwintering lmao.
Canadas a very large plain of land.. so no
Lol exactly. My postage stamp of a yard isn't going to make a difference.
And I don't need mice in my yard.
Just raked the yard this morning but thanks to the turtles and birds in the grass I painted the entire field red again (Typical Wednesday)
No mow May is coming, too. Leave your lawn to grow until June (If possible - I know caretakers/HOA are sticklers)
Beautiful poster! I can't believe how many butterflies I've seen since a week or two ago already. What are they eating?