Better De-leafing

Earlier this month, I was wondering if there was some special technique to leaf blowing.

Well!

I haven’t found a special technique for blowing of the leaves per se, but I have discovered a slightly better way to pick them up.  Familiar to all leaf blowing peoples of the known world, probably, but new to me.  (What can I say?  I’m slow.)

Use a tarp.

See?  Once I say it, it seems self-evident, doesn’t it?

Just use the leaf blower to move all the leaves onto the tarp.  Then, pick the tarp up (carefully), and dump the leaves into the bag or bin or whatever.

Now, I will tell you that this method does have some limitations.  If your tarp is not big enough, you will, basically, just blow the leaves over it.  If you don’t do something to weigh down the edges…goodbye tarp.  If your tarp is too big, dumping the leaves becomes an interesting exercise in wrestling with the tarp.

To be honest, I have thus far found it to be easier to proceed thusly:  Use the leaf blower to create piles of leaves.  Then, put the tarp beside the pile, and use the rake to move the leaves onto the tarp.  Then, proceed to wrestle with the tarp as necessary.

The thing about this new (to me) discovery is that picking up the leaves has gone from being the hardest part of the whole business to being one of the easiest.  Not counting those times when I just decide to mow the leaves, instead.  Or those future times—probably never happening but occasionally dreamed of—in which all the trees have been removed by my most amazing tree guy.

One of the reasons this is not happening is that my most amazing tree guy is reasonable but not cheap.

Plus, I have neighbors with trees, and the wind is no respecter of property lines.

Plus, I like trees.

I just would prefer it if they would drop their leaves all at one time—or during the same season, at least—instead of from October to March.  Six months of leaves is too many.

And don’t get me started about the sweet gum balls!