We know that if there is anything people look forward to – even more than the holidays – it’s raking leaves. Nothing beats sweating your face off in weather that’s too cold to not wear a jacket but hot enough to make you too hot quickly. Everyone loves it when they rake a wondrous pile of leaves that can be systematically disposed of only for their kids to come barreling through and knock all of that hard work back all over the yard. Heck – we all know there isn’t a more romantic time in the world than the sweet nothings you scream into your spouse’s face as you fumble awkwardly trying to put leaves into bags they don’t want to go into.
It’s fun! It’s exciting! Some have even told us that it’s spiritual!
Honestly, it’s none of those things. Raking the lawn is actually the worst. It was cool when you were a kid – but now you’re not a kid and there’s just nothing in the world we want to do less than rake and dispose of leaves.
Have no fear though – we are here to (kind of) save the day and share with you some of the best, most efficient and fastest ways to get rid of those leaves. The faster you get ‘em done, the faster you’re back on the couch watching TV!
Here’s how
Get the mower. If you don’t have one, grab your neighbor’s. Barter, trade, wheel n deal and if all else fails, yell and throw a temper tantrum until you have your hands on one. Once you do, buy a mulching blade. Hardware stores everywhere sell mulching blades and for the cost of about $30, your worst annual headache will be a vision of the past.
You simply jack up the mower or turn it on its side – remove the normal blade by unscrewing it, screw in the mulching blade, pull the chord and let the chaos commence.
What will happen is the leaves will get chewed up and broken down into tiny pieces. If you have a bag on your mower (highly recommended) then that’s even better. What will happen is that the majority of the leaves will be chewed to bits and sucked into a bag – of which you can conveniently throw into another bag, set them on your front lawn for the DPW guys and never have to worry about them ever again. Even better – the bits that don’t make it into your bag will serve as detritus and mulch for your lawn.
Even better, you can use some of the mulch in the mower bag (or from the ground) and use it for composting, for flowerbeds and the like. So not only can you take an agonizing annual task and cut the run time down by about 80-90%, but you can also make your own mulch and help give your surroundings a natural shot in the arm with the mulch you make.
Love the tarp
If you still insist on being a masochist and can’t possibly put down your rake – buy a tarp. It will make everything minus the raking a whole heck of a lot easier. You can simply rake the leaves onto the tarp, fold it up and take it to your desired destination – usually the curb or wherever it is you like to throw them. If your town insists on using bags for removal – then the tarp will come through in the clutch once more because you can use it as a funnel into the bags and/or bins. It beats picking them up by hand or the always-fruitless attempts to rake the leaves into the bags themselves.
But seriously
While we’re having a little fun this week, we do want to emphasize how important it is that you clear your lawn of leaves and excess. When left too long, they can do some damage to your lawn and block your trees and bushes from getting the nutrients they need. As you prepare for the winter, it should be the first thing on your agenda. Once that’s done – then you can consider it time to get to everything else you need to do to get ready for the cold stuff. Good luck!
Honestly, it’s none of those things. Raking the lawn is actually the worst. It was cool when you were a kid – but now you’re not a kid and there’s just nothing in the world we want to do less than rake and dispose of leaves.
Have no fear though – we are here to (kind of) save the day and share with you some of the best, most efficient and fastest ways to get rid of those leaves. The faster you get ‘em done, the faster you’re back on the couch watching TV!
Here’s how
Get the mower. If you don’t have one, grab your neighbor’s. Barter, trade, wheel n deal and if all else fails, yell and throw a temper tantrum until you have your hands on one. Once you do, buy a mulching blade. Hardware stores everywhere sell mulching blades and for the cost of about $30, your worst annual headache will be a vision of the past.
You simply jack up the mower or turn it on its side – remove the normal blade by unscrewing it, screw in the mulching blade, pull the chord and let the chaos commence.
What will happen is the leaves will get chewed up and broken down into tiny pieces. If you have a bag on your mower (highly recommended) then that’s even better. What will happen is that the majority of the leaves will be chewed to bits and sucked into a bag – of which you can conveniently throw into another bag, set them on your front lawn for the DPW guys and never have to worry about them ever again. Even better – the bits that don’t make it into your bag will serve as detritus and mulch for your lawn.
Even better, you can use some of the mulch in the mower bag (or from the ground) and use it for composting, for flowerbeds and the like. So not only can you take an agonizing annual task and cut the run time down by about 80-90%, but you can also make your own mulch and help give your surroundings a natural shot in the arm with the mulch you make.
Love the tarp
If you still insist on being a masochist and can’t possibly put down your rake – buy a tarp. It will make everything minus the raking a whole heck of a lot easier. You can simply rake the leaves onto the tarp, fold it up and take it to your desired destination – usually the curb or wherever it is you like to throw them. If your town insists on using bags for removal – then the tarp will come through in the clutch once more because you can use it as a funnel into the bags and/or bins. It beats picking them up by hand or the always-fruitless attempts to rake the leaves into the bags themselves.
But seriously
While we’re having a little fun this week, we do want to emphasize how important it is that you clear your lawn of leaves and excess. When left too long, they can do some damage to your lawn and block your trees and bushes from getting the nutrients they need. As you prepare for the winter, it should be the first thing on your agenda. Once that’s done – then you can consider it time to get to everything else you need to do to get ready for the cold stuff. Good luck!
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