I just got hives with the mention of this thread. I am on leaf watch hoping I get a couple weeks off until raking commences. We fill up two large yard debris containers every other week from October until December. In addition I fill up large Costco yard bags and wait until I have a pickup load while our city disposes for free. Upon completion of second full pickup load and two months later we will be done. I hate it but it's the price we pay for having shade and privacy.
The great leaf battle commences ...
- Thread starter rayinpenn
- Start date
Andre1969
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
When I was younger, we were pretty rigorous about raking leaves. I remember, at both my house as a kid, and my grandmother's, we'd rake them up, load them in the back of a small utility trailer that hooked to the back of the lawn tractor, and haul them back into the woods. Granddad had built some wooden sides that attached to the trailer, so it could hold more.
However, we haven't done any serious raking in years. My old house did have a small courtyard area, about 30x30, that was bordered by the house and a stockade fence. It would tend to accumulate leaves, so we'd rake that, at least. But the rest of them, would just blow away, rot down, etc. What little was left would pretty much disappear in the spring, after cutting the grass once or twice.
Now, I'm out in a fairly rural area, both now and then, so you can get away with that. In a more residential area with close-by neighbors, probably not so easy!
My current place has a magnolia tree near the house, and I've learned that thing is a pain! It drops leaves all year round, and they're hard to rake up. I've just been running through them with the tractor when I cut the grass, and then, if there's too much mess, rake that up.
The new place has a swimming pool. Last year, I delayed in getting it closed down and covered, and paid the toll with leaves. It's out in an open area, with no trees hanging directly over, but stuff still got in it. Once the trees started dropping leaves, I was usually out there every day getting them out of the pool. It was mid November by the time I finally got a cover over it. Even though most of the leaves had fallen by then, by the time spring came around and it was time to open the pool, there was a ton of them on the cover.
The weekend before the company came out to open the pool, the cover was completely dry. I should have taken it off right then, but waited a few days. Alas, we had a rain storm, and once those leaves got water-logged, they were a pain to remove.
I had the pool closed and covered this past Monday, so at least this time around, I won't have to deal with scooping leaves out of the pool. And I'm going to try and be more proactive in the spring, once it's time to take the cover off.
However, we haven't done any serious raking in years. My old house did have a small courtyard area, about 30x30, that was bordered by the house and a stockade fence. It would tend to accumulate leaves, so we'd rake that, at least. But the rest of them, would just blow away, rot down, etc. What little was left would pretty much disappear in the spring, after cutting the grass once or twice.
Now, I'm out in a fairly rural area, both now and then, so you can get away with that. In a more residential area with close-by neighbors, probably not so easy!
My current place has a magnolia tree near the house, and I've learned that thing is a pain! It drops leaves all year round, and they're hard to rake up. I've just been running through them with the tractor when I cut the grass, and then, if there's too much mess, rake that up.
The new place has a swimming pool. Last year, I delayed in getting it closed down and covered, and paid the toll with leaves. It's out in an open area, with no trees hanging directly over, but stuff still got in it. Once the trees started dropping leaves, I was usually out there every day getting them out of the pool. It was mid November by the time I finally got a cover over it. Even though most of the leaves had fallen by then, by the time spring came around and it was time to open the pool, there was a ton of them on the cover.
The weekend before the company came out to open the pool, the cover was completely dry. I should have taken it off right then, but waited a few days. Alas, we had a rain storm, and once those leaves got water-logged, they were a pain to remove.
I had the pool closed and covered this past Monday, so at least this time around, I won't have to deal with scooping leaves out of the pool. And I'm going to try and be more proactive in the spring, once it's time to take the cover off.
Teacher Terry
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2014
- Messages
- 7,084
We have 3 fruit trees so except in winter I am sweeping them off my patio daily. Our front yard has no trees but the neighbors leaves come to our front yard and stop. They cannot be left to mulch because we have Astro-turf.
Cyclone leaf vacuum trailer.
Bought 3 years ago. They had a one year return policy and are made in my state. If it didn't work, I was just going to return it.
I used to spend 4 hours on Saturday and 4 on Sunday every weekend just about starting in October and ending and December.
Now it's under 2 hours with no strains or backaches. I do use my backpack blower to blow some of the leaves into bigger piles off of the hills.
I drop the mulched leaves off of a 6 foot ledge. In the past that was getting to be level. Now I can almost use the area because they are so well mulched.
The whole trailer thing breaks completely down and I hang it in my shed.
Bought 3 years ago. They had a one year return policy and are made in my state. If it didn't work, I was just going to return it.
I used to spend 4 hours on Saturday and 4 on Sunday every weekend just about starting in October and ending and December.
Now it's under 2 hours with no strains or backaches. I do use my backpack blower to blow some of the leaves into bigger piles off of the hills.
I drop the mulched leaves off of a 6 foot ledge. In the past that was getting to be level. Now I can almost use the area because they are so well mulched.
The whole trailer thing breaks completely down and I hang it in my shed.
