How to clean up your yard and leaves for fall

Fall cleanup can be an enjoyable outdoor task.

Cleaning up your yard after all the fall leaves have fallen can be a major task. You need to rake, blow, mulch or bag up your leaves though. If you let them go, your lawn will be smothered by wet leaves come spring. You can approach the task to make it easier and organized.

Things You'll Need

• Lawn mower
• Bagging attachment
• Rake
• Bags

Instructions

1. Collect leaves by mowing them using the bagging attachment. Spread the shredded leaves around the bases of trees or shrubs, compost them in a bin or place them on top of the garden.

2. Wait to rake, if you don’t have a lawnmower with an attachment, until most of the leaves have fallen from the trees but before snow hits. If you try to ”keep up” with the leaves that are falling, you expend energy without completing the job.

3. Stretch your arms, back and hamstrings to warm up before raking.

4. Pace yourself if you are raking by hand. Raking offers a substantial workout and can build upper body strength. With this in mind, limit yourself to a couple hours at a time unless you are in good physical condition.

5. Start in the outer corner of your yard and rake in a straight line or rake from the outer corner inward for best efficiency. Make several piles around the yard rather than placing all the leaves in one pile.

6. Make compost with the leaves. Rake the leaves over a vegetable garden bed or add to your compost barrel. Mix grass clippings, composted manure or fertilizer to speed the decomposition of the leaves.

7. Have an assistant hold the leaf bags while you fill them if you don’t have the space to compost the leaves. Avoid overloading the bags, especially if the leaves are wet, and use your leg muscles rather than your back to lift.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, this process will likely take several raking sessions to complete, do not try to rake for an extended period of time as this is hard on your back

• Try to make it fun by getting the whole family involved- let the kids rake piles and jump in them before you bag them all up

• If you do not have family available, try recruiting some teenagers to help you with the job- I am sure what you pay them will be more than worth your while.

• Avoid exposure to damp leaves if you suffer from allergies.

References

• Southern Illinois University Carbondale Center for Environmental Health & Safety: An Autumn Health & Safety Reminder
• Alabama Cooperative Extension Service: Chore of Raking Leaves