{"id":15925,"date":"2020-09-30T11:25:17","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T15:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?p=15925"},"modified":"2021-01-22T11:28:24","modified_gmt":"2021-01-22T16:28:24","slug":"leaves-for-mulch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2020\/09\/30\/leaves-for-mulch\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I use leaves for mulch in the gardens over winter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question:<\/h3>\n

Can you use leaves for mulch in the gardens over winter? After this month’s snow, as I raked again, the undergrowth was green and flourishing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/h3>\n

The answer is yes. They\u2019re great for protecting the plants from desiccation, protecting the soil from erosion, and keeping the frost in the ground so plants don\u2019t heave. Some people take the trouble to chop the leaves with their mower before mulching, but unless they\u2019re matted oak leaves, it\u2019s not necessary. The other benefit is that they\u2019re winter cover for pollinators and other invertebrates. Read more in his article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: Can you use leaves for mulch in the gardens over winter? After this month’s snow, as I raked again, the undergrowth was green and flourishing. Answer: The answer is yes. They\u2019re great for protecting the plants from desiccation, protecting the soil from erosion, and keeping the frost in the ground so plants don\u2019t heave. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[199,202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ask","category-maintenance"],"yoast_head":"\nCan I use leaves for mulch in the gardens over winter? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2020\/09\/30\/leaves-for-mulch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can I use leaves for mulch in the gardens over winter? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Question: Can you use leaves for mulch in the gardens over winter? After this month’s snow, as I raked again, the undergrowth was green and flourishing. Answer: The answer is yes. They\u2019re great for protecting the plants from desiccation, protecting the soil from erosion, and keeping the frost in the ground so plants don\u2019t heave. 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