Fall used to mean one thing in the garden: cut everything down, rake every leaf, bag the debris, and leave the beds spotless before winter. Garden experts increasingly recommend something much less exhausting—and considerably better for the insects, birds, soil, and plants sharing your yard. A more selective fall garden cleanup can preserve overwintering habitat, protect perennial crowns, provide natural mulch, and even feed birds without costing you anything. That doesn’t mean letting diseased tomato vines rot beside the raised beds or ignoring serious pest problems until spring. Instead, these seven things are worth leaving alone when you’re tempted to make the garden perfectly tidy.
