Trees and shrubs in all their brilliant fall finery are an amazing sight to behold. But those color-drenched leaves eventually make their way to the ground, where you may find them much less welcome.
Raking leaves is at the top of most fall garden to-do lists, and it can be a rather labor-intensive and time-consuming chore. But dealing with fallen leaves doesn’t have to be a pain (sometimes literally).
When you know how to rake properly, or even how to avoid raking altogether, you’ll have more time to enjoy a final bonfire of the season or one last backyard football game before the snow flies. Use these leaf-raking tips to make quick work of your fall cleanup.
Do You Really Need to Rake?
Leaves have nutrients that can be recycled into your soil. The problem arises when they’re piled too thick, which can smother your lawn and smaller garden plants. But how many are too many? University researchers developed guidelines to make it easy to know if you need to rake or not. If less than 50 percent of your lawn is blanketed with leaves, you don’t need to rake, but it’s recommended that you run your lawn mower over the leaves to shred them. More than 50 percent leaf coverage? Time to get out the rake!
