dkhedmo said:

We just moved into our first house. We have woods at the back of the
very large yard, and many large, mature trees on our property as well as
the surrounding neoghbors'. I love autumn, love big piles of leaves,
love to play in the piles with the kids, etc. I have no aesthetic
problem with leaves being all over the place, prefer it, actually as it
is my favorite season and I am not that enchanted with the typical
suburban lawn scenario (which I intend to remedy on my own property over
time), and chose a property with woods at the back because we really
like to be near the natural beauty.

We are not in a new, fancy neighborhood with one of those associations
with rules, and as far as I can see while perusing the local ordinances
for various information regarding fencing and such, while being expected
to keep up the property to a reasonable degree, there is nothing
specific about cleaning up leaves. I don't know yet what the communal
expectations are for this neighborhood.

My question is, why does everyone generally work themselves into a
lather cleaning up the leaves? Is it damaging to the lawn or garden? I
would think the opposite would be true, in this 4-season climate.

You'll probably have to make the choice: A Lawn, or Leaves.

Sure, leaves add nutrients (very little though, without some green matter
mixed in) back into the soil, AFTER they break down. By themselves, they
take a LONG time to break down, especially if they're left whole. As they
build up, get wet (from rain, dew, snow, etc.), they mat down.

By then they'll be one really big mass of nothing but leaves, blocking out
all the things that the lawn (Remember the lawn? It's what's buried beneath
that big mat.) needs. Sunlight can't get in. Very little water can get in,
as it sheets off of the leaves. Oh, what doesn't evaporate or get drank by
some animal will eventually get there, but it will be far too little, far
too late. Forget about any food getting to the lawn. If water can't get
through, then there's very little chance of some little pellet making it.

Leaves make a good mulch because they block out light, water, and oxygen,
because they mat down. What makes them effective at blocking weeds, will
also be effective for blocking grass from growing.

Not to mention, that now that the turf grass is not dense enough to help
combat weeds, they'll be the first to thrive when the leaves are removed.
Unless of course you've got one heckuva cool season grass for a lawn, and
it can get thick again by spring. =)

It also makes a nice, dark "highway system" for unwanted pests to make
their way to even more unwanted places.

This was probably a really simplified answer, but I think you'll get my
meaning. You'd surely be able to keep the leaves around longer if you're
not really worried about a nice lawn, if you so choose. And if you *are*
worried about a nice lawn, then you'll probably find yourself doing more
rigorous lawn maintenance during the rest of the year to keep it that way.

JMO, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. =)
HTH
--
Eggs

-Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake
when you make it again.