The more lawn you have to spread out in the summer, the more leaf raking you may be doing in the fall. Raking leaves isn’t high on my list of things I want to do in my spare time or even paid time, so if you’re like anyone else tasked with cleaning up after the soils of Mother nature— consider yourself lucky she’s still got it and lucky you’re going to find the best way to rake leaves and the easiest way to rake leaves all right here.
If you don’t have a trusty leaf blower or even a lawn mower, you may start to wonder why rake leaves at all? It may not be the most glamorous chore, but it can be pretty fulfilling to see your yard or terrace looking stunning, not a leaf in sight.
When to Rake Leaves?
Depending on your region, you may be leaf raking more than once a year. The type of greenery and variety of trees in or around your yard is another important factor in when to rake leaves because leaves of plants drop at different times of year in different regions. If you have an early frost and a full summer, the easiest way to rake leaves will be before the first frost. Maintaining additional maintenance early spring to keep your lawn healthy doesn’t have to be wasteful either, you can compost or turn your leaves into mulch to keep your outdoor lawn cute at a lower cost to the environment.
If you live in a wet climate with multiple seasons of rain and no frost, you may find leaf raking better suited at the end of your rainy season and cleaning up in the fall. Just like Cortney Love did to her garden, just maybe.
6 Tips on How to Rake Leaves
1. Divide Your Yard Into Sections
Divide up your yard into halves or quarter sections. Only rake in the sections you plan to complete each day.
2. Rake Leaves Into a Tarp
To save time and muscle aches, lay a tarp down to pick up your leaves and then scoop it up and into a larger trash bag or dumpster.
3. Rake Leaves Downhill
Be mindful of the wind, leaf-raker. Raking downhill will ensure you’re going with the wind and not against it, making it an easier lift on your back.
4. Choose the Right Type of Leaf Rake
Choose the right multipurpose rake for your yard so that you can work in narrow spaces and cover a decent amount of space at the same time.
5. Bag Smaller Piles of Leaves
If you think too big, the wind may come over and blow your entire pile away. Bag small and bag them up right away.
6. Rake Towards You
Keep your hips and shoulders aligned, pulling the rake towards you with your midline to avoid twisting and turning your back.
Leaf Disposal Ideas
Compost Pile
Nothing says I’m just going to Burning Man for a few days like a dedicated compost pile to house the leaves of your labor and lawn. Add leaves into your compost in the fall and use it as fertilizer in the spring.
Shred the Leaves
An electric leaf shredder can speed up the entire process of bagging leaves by breaking it down into smaller pieces, you can go electric or cordless and be the cool neighbor with the leaf shredder on the block.
Mow and Mulching
You can mow over your leaves with a lawn mower that uses a mulching mode to add mulch to your lawn and spread nutrients to any other trees or plants in the soil.
If you’re like me, you may have pretended to be sick to get out of raking leaves. While there’s some valid reasons not to rake the leaves in your yard, in most cases, leaf raking can prevent diseases in grass, and other plants in your yard as well as allow the sun and water to reach your grass.
While there’s plenty of reasons why to rake leaves, you may find the easiest way to rake leaves is by hiring a skilled Tasker to do the job. Taskers come with their own tools and supplies, plus they’ll handle all the clean-up for you and your yard.
