If the unseasonably warm February weather is making it seem tempting to pull out the rake to take care of some of those leftover fall leaves — don’t do it, the city of Minneapolis says.
Don’t rake those leaves yet, Minneapolis says
Despite the persistently mild winter, city says please resist the urge to rake leaves that provide cover pollinators need.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 5, 2024 at 10:21PM
“It sounds strange to say this in February, but please don’t rake your leaves right now,” read a news release from the city. Pollinators like bees and other bugs nest in broken stems of plants and leaves over winter, the city said.
Temperatures will remain high this week following an end to January that broke records.
It is not recommended to rake until after a consistently warm and dry period, said landscape designer Diana Grundeen, owner of Trio Landscaping. Typically, ground temperatures should be around 59 degrees before spring maintenance so good pollinators have time to do their work, she said.
“We advocate for waiting because the other shoe is going to drop,” Grundeen said of the false spring.
The final city yard waste pickup in Minneapolis was at the end of November and beginning of December.
For those who did not get to all the leaves in the yard before the end of yard waste season, don’t worry — yard waste pickup will resume when spring truly arrives.
The governor said it may be 2027 or 2028 by the time the market catches up to demand.
