Making fall leaf raking less of a chore

The colors of fall have a universal appeal. People jump into their cars to drive to areas where the color is vibrant. Have you ever noticed how fast the gorgeous fall foliage turns into backbreaking leaf raking? It seems that you just barely have time to enjoy the wonderful color when a heavy rain or wind storm comes along and sends all those leaves flying through the air and onto the ground.

When the first leaves fall, it is easy to get the kids involved in the chore of raking them up and getting them bagged. Jumping into a huge pile of leaves is great fun for kids of all ages. However, after the initial novelty has worn off, the kids scatter like the wind when any talk of raking takes place and it becomes a burden that can go on for weeks.

There are two schools of thought on raking leaves. Some people like to rake every day to keep up with the leaves as they are falling. The other school of thought is that it is better to wait until all the leaves have fallen from the trees, and if the snow just happens to come before the end of the fall season, well then the leaves will still be there when spring comes around.

The benefit of keeping up with the leaves is that they are much easier to rake when they are dry. At the end of the day, the leaves will fall down and need to be raked whether it is now or later. Here are a few tips for raking fall leaves.

Blower  

If you have a leaf blower, this is one method to move the leaves relatively quickly and easily. They also make a leaf blower that is a vacuum as well so that you can grab all those hard to reach leaves that are underneath bushes or in your flower beds. They come with a bag that while it is not large, is big enough to help move the leaves from the ground to the disposal area.

Mower attachment

With a tractor style lawn mower, you can attach a raking cart that grabs up the leaves and throws them into the cart as you drive around the yard. This is a great option for the larger lawns with wide open spaces; it can save an immense amount of time.

Rake

Nothing will ever totally take the place of your rake. You probably have a metal rake, a plastic rake and maybe even a bamboo rake. A bamboo rake is a greener option but it is less durable and much less likely to last more than one season. If you have young children, you may even want to get them their own scaled to size rake. If you are raking, be sure to wear work gloves, blisters are a common result of not wearing them.

Once the leaves have been raked into piles, the obligatory jumping has been done and the re-raking accomplished, what then? Check to see if your town, county or township has a leaf collection policy. There are some that will pick up bagged leaves on certain days. If you are new to the area, check with your neighbors. In some areas you need to buy large paper bags, other will except standard plastic leave bags. If there is no pickup you will need to dispose of the leaves at your local dump or land fill.

Depending on the weather in your area, the time of year for raking leaves can extend from early October through early December. Raking the leaves is a major chore every year. When the majority of the leaves have been raked, if you have a mulching lawn mower, the last ones can be chopped to mulch the lawn and help guarantee a greener lawn in the spring. You can now sit back and wait for the first snow confident that you have done that chore of raking leaves for one more fall season.