The arrival of Fall or Autumn means wonderful displays of autumn leaves turning russet and gold. It also means – if you live near deciduous trees – a lot of leaves on the ground.
What do you do with all of those leaves?
If there are only a few leaves on your lawn, no problem. But if you have a lot of leaves, they can turn into a slimy mush after rain, and then your lawn is deprived of oxygen and could die. So you need to remove them.
In this article I look at:
- How best to remove the leaves
- What to do with the leaves (and what NOT to do!)
How to remove the leaves from your lawn
You have choices – and naturally, some choices are greener than others.
- Sweep or rake them up yourself – give yourself a workout in the fresh air, and stay warm!
- Get the kids or grandkids or neighbourhood kids to earn some pocket-money by raking them up.
- If these aren’t feasible, then use a leaf blower or vacuum.
Rake Types
Ergonomic rakes (with a bent handle) are much easier on your back – once you’ve learnt to let the rake do the work instead of you.
Foam-cushioned handles help to prevent blisters.
Wider rakes speed up the process – you collect more leaves per sweep.
Expanding rakes let you rake the lawn quickly in wide sweeps and then slip in between plants or walls with it narrowed down.
I’ve even seen “clog-free” rakes (I haven’t tested them myself yet).
Advantages of Rakes
Apart from physical exercise, and the sense of huge satisfaction once you’ve finished raking the garden, there is another big advantage to raking.
Lawns get lawn thatch – a layer of dead grass tissue just above the soil. It needs to be removed to ensure lawn health, normally in fall (autumn) or spring. Removing the lawn thatch helps your lawn to breathe.
Leaf blowers don’t do anything for lawn thatch. But if you rake your lawn deeply you will remove not only leaves but also lawn thatch.
And of course, rakes aren’t noisy, and don’t pollute the air around them.
Next: Leaf blowers / vacuums – what they’re good for, and the best ones.
Photo Credit: Microsoft
[…] Get them involved with gardening – growing vegetables (they might actually eat them!), or rummaging in leaves. […]
I used to have a Monster oak tree that sat right above my house when I was younger. Needless to say… I hated that thing. A good rake really makes a difference.
Andrew
The Snake Rake sure looks comfortable.
[…] at the advantages and disadvantages of the two main ways of dealing with autumn or fall leaves, raking them up or using a leaf blower. I also looked at ways to make a leaf blower as eco-friendly as […]
Looking forward to the next article Clare . I don’t have any leaf sheding trees around me thank goodness .
One of the best parts of fall is raking up our leaves with my youngest daughter then jumping in the pile with her or burying each other in the huge pile. Leave blowers would take all the fun out of that.
Absolutely Rob – it’s definitely the best part!
Thanks for your comments!
[…] Leaf Blowers – are they green? […]
Ergonomic rakes! Gotta love it! I remember raking leaves as a kid with some pretty un-ergonomic rakes. 🙂
Cherie Miranda
I miss the changing of color of the leaves back in Minnesota this time of year. Always enjoyed raking the leaves because it was great for getting into a meditative state of mind.
What do you recommend be done with the leaves? I know some friends who use their leaves for their compost while others used to burn them. If they get sent to the dump with the rest of the trash do they help decompose the other garbage at the dump?
Sorry for so many questions but you really sparked my curiosity on this one!
Michael
Great questions Michael, and I’ve answered them all in tomorrow’s article, thank you!
What do you think of electric leaf blowers?
Mark Hogan
Hi Mark, I’ve covered all the different types of leaf blowers in my next post, so it should answer your question! Thanks!
I am currently on vacation in middle Tennessee and the trees are in their full glory. It is magnificant! My personal home is also a couple of wooded acres so dealing with leaves is an issue.
I love to look at them but I HATE raking them. It is good exercise and it does feel good when done but my leaves don’t all fall at once so when I am done, the next day it looks like I didn’t do it at all. That’s the part I hate.
My solution…pay someone else to do it. My life has been much richer since then!
Dennis
Hi Green Goddess,
In California and Nevada, we really don’t have the deciduous trees and Autumnal foliage to contend with. However, I am with you on the simplicity of using an old fashioned rake to rake my leaves. Use a good set of gardening gloves and go outside, breath some fresh air, get a little exercise and break a sweat raking leaves.
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Autumn leaves are one of the few things I miss about the North East. I guess if my lawn was really large I might use a leaf blower. Otherwise I kind of enjoy the exercise of raking along with it’s peacefulness.
Clare, I never would have questioned if leaf blowers were ecofriendly. Thanks for the information.
Scott Sylvan Bell
Now go implement!
Hi Clare ~
Sadly, leaf blowers seem to be the norm around here, even though they are noisy and pollute the air. Therefore, I am really looking forward to your helpful advice about leaf blowers and which ones are the best. Nice summary of the various types of rakes.
Stay Amazing and Do Extraordinary Things, Neil