Do you have a preferred method cleaning up fallen leaves?

[ATV]

Other than paying the local kids to sweep up the grass, is there a "work smarter, not harder" way of cleaning up all the leaves from the garden other than a rake and some bin bags?

[juice]

These

[Sporky]

I hate gardening so nice chap called Steeeeeve comes once a month and does it.

[NDA]

It's always a big job - depending on the lawn size of course.

A ride-on mower can be one way - a leaf blower another. I used to use a combination of both.

Otherwise raking into long strips and then going back and turning each strip into large heaps - then a leaf picker-up thing is pretty good for saving your back.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01ALAKCJ2/ref...

[8-P]

I mow everywhere on a higher setting, the road and the grass over the road. Basically get them before they get into the garage/drive/aco drains etc

[megaphone]

As above , use the lawn mower.

[Billy_Rosewood]

Saw this in Costco yesterday.. If we hadn't just removed two of the messiest trees in our garden I probably would have given it a try..

https://www.costco.co.uk/Garden-Sheds-Patio/Garden...

[Dog Star]

I’m filling a pair of 240l wheelie bins every two days now. The bin men take these weekly so I’ve a big “staging” pile so I will still be processing that into the bins come December.

It’s a none stop job and the m sick of it. I’ve ended up with a car on the lawn this year as it’s just clogging up the scuttles etc.

We are moving - hopefully - next year and the new place will not have trees. It’s my prime consideration.

[thepritch]

I haven’t figured out the best way or tool yet so will read / watch this thread with interest.

We live in a forest, so yeah, leaves are a big problem!

Was tempted by this : Google - Billy Goat vacuum if you have a lot of leaves. You can hire them, but that involves hard work picking it up, or expense if you get it delivered. And hassle as more than likely after a vacuum more leaves will drop! So unless I buy one it doesn’t seem quite right for us.

A lot of our leaves fall on our gravel drive, so if I rake them in piles the leaves also get mixed with gravel when I pick them up. We have a handheld petrol leaf blower/vacuum but it’s really not up to the job and a hassle to use - wet leaves block it too easily. Lots of areas here in the shade, so the leaves wont ever dry out.

I too need to figure out a process as I don’t think there is just one tool / way to do it effectively and quickly.

[ARHarh]

Just leave them for the worms, your garden will thank you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EODCIY-3E0M

[loskie]

Lawnmower with the blades set in a higher setting

[NorthDave]

I use a blower to get them in to one corner and then scoop in to green bin. Seems to work well as some.of the leaves are on loose gravel.

[OutInTheShed]

I just rake up the leaves from where they collect in deep layers.
It's 10 minutes to collect about 75 or 80% of the leaves in the garden.
Rather than spending an hour to collect 90% when another 5% will turn up as soon as you go in for coffee.

It's Autumn, in the country, there will always be leaves.
Having your grass totally covered in leaves for weeks on end isn't good.
A scattering of leaves does no harm.

[Chrisgr31]

I rake them into a pile and then take the lawnmower over the pile to chop them up ready to go in the compost bin.

I could use the lawnmower to collect them up instead of raking but I find raking works better. However I only have an error of around 20metres by 5 metres to rake

[Snow and Rocks]

We also live in a forest with lots of gravel.

Where possible, I use a big petrol powered backpack blower to blow the leaves out into the woods or onto the grass where a run over with a decent mulching mower quickly reduces even a thick layer of leaves to almost nothing. The battery blowers I've tried don't have anywhere close to the power needed to peel up wet leaves from the gravel after they've been run over so go big!

In the areas where that's not possible - I use the blower to pile them up and then use a big aluminium grain shovel to scoop them into a tonne bag/wheelbarrow.

[jagnet]

A Fiskars rake is a thing of beauty for leaf clearance. It flicks leaves a hell of a long way and absolutely monsters its way across large areas.



A builder's bulk bag is easy to fill and can be dragged about without ripping the arse out of it like bin bags.

[Huzzah]

You can rake them up stick in black bags and allow to rot down for a couple of yrs, or send them out to be composted via a council tip.

Or just cut out the middle man, rake them up if you must and stick them behind shrubs. Shrubs animals and insects will thank you for it.

[Simpo Two]

Lawn rake and a garden waste bin. It's not hard and the exercise keeps you warm.

[abzmike]

I’m about to spent about 2 hours doing it, so I’ll let you know….

[Monkeylegend]

On a windy day I just open the back garden gates and they seem to disappear rather effectively.

In the absence of wind I use the lawn mower.