Spring Cleanup and No-Dig Soil Prep

I'm a fan of letting nature take it's course. No Dig Gardening makes sense to me, is easier, less expensive and works! I leave the overwintering leaves in the garden until the ground thaws because those leaves are like little blankets that protect my plants during the winter and provide nutrients. Once plants are peeking through the ground I'll gently rake the leaves to loosen them up and remove "heavy" areas.

Leaf mulch in my beds has always worked for me so I tend to leave most of the leaves in my gardens. Once things have dried out a bit sometimes I'll add a layer of bark mulch no more than 1" thick to help keep roots cool and retain moisture. The leaves encourage the worms to work their way through the soil to their food source (my leaves) which, in turn, saves me the hassle of tilling the soil. I've been doing this for years with good results. I almost feel guilty because now the amount of work it takes to care for my garden has dropped substantially and my plants are very healthy.

If you have ants in your pants to "cleanup your gardens" I recommend:

• Raking the leaves a bit to airate.

• Rake the leaves into a pile, run your mower over them using the leaf bag to chop up the leaves, then distribute the leaves back over your gardens.

The theme here is to Leave the Leaves. They are happy where they are and nature will take care of them.