Get Rid of Leaves
Colorful autumn leaves awe and inspire us with their scarlet and gold beauty. A few leaves scattered on the lawn will give your house the “Home Beautiful” look. But then, the leaves have the nasty habit of continuing to fall from the trees. And they keep falling and falling, and then they fall some more. When it comes time to get rid of these leaves you realize that they aren’t so gorgeous and that they have become quite a nuisance. Well, here are some simple tips that will help you get rid of your formerly beautiful, now irritating, leaves.
Mowing
Mowing your lawn is possibly the best way to get rid of leaves. The mower will shred the leaves into very fine pieces that will settle deep into the turf where they will decay like all well behaved organic matter does. You may want to mow a few more times than normal at this time of the year. The more your shred the leaves, the easier it will be for them to decay.
Raking
Back breaking, hand blistering and finger racking labor never hurt anyone, did it? Not if you don’t count the breaking, blistering and racking. Invest in a good rake if you are going to rake your leaves. Purchase the largest, widest rake you can find and make sure it has metal or plastic tines. Bamboo rakes look good but break quite easily.
Compost and Be a Hero
If you are going to rake your leaves, you may as well heap them into a compost pile. Neighbors will think you are environmentally conscious because your leaves will turn into naturally wonderful fertilizer by springtime. Actually, there is a bit more to composting than simply placing leaves in a pile and waiting six months, but let’s face it, the real reason you compost is to avoid putting your leaves into bags for the trash/recycling men.
Pay Children
Paying neighborhood children to rake leaves used to be the lazy man’s dream. Not so much anymore. It seems that the economics of kid labor have gone topsy-turvy in recent years. Baby sitting, sidewalk shoveling, grass mowing and leaf raking all pull in top dollar. It seems that it is no longer acceptable to pay children paltry wages to do mind-numbing labor. However, if you do decide to go this route, set a dollar figure for the entire job versus an hourly rate. Kids can become expert dawdlers.
Leaf Blowers and the Neighbors
The easiest way to get rid of your leaves is to use a leaf blower. Of course, no discussion of leaf blowers can be complete without mentioning neighborly manners. A bad neighbor will crank up the ever-loud blower at ungodly early morning hours and will be sure to blow a nice bevy of leaves into adjacent yards. Conversely, a good neighbor will follow all the unspoken laws of polite society and may even offer to lend out the blower with one caveat – that the lendee “hold on” to the equipment in their garage until next spring. Ah, the intricacies of suburban life!
The Art of Procrastination
Avoid removing leaves from your lawn for as long as possible. Use rationalizations like “As soon as I rake them, more will fall” and “It’s too windy today.” A good procrastinator easily get past Thanksgiving with time honored excuses, and a great putter-offer may make it to the first snow of the season or even Christmas.
Ignore the Leaves
The ultimate procrastination. Make believe the leaves do not exist. Tell yourself that they will magically disappear under the snows of winter, or that the blustery winds of late fall will miraculously remove them from your yard. Delusion is always a good ploy when unappealing work is at hand.
Burning
Aside from creating air pollution and breaking the law, burning your leaves is a incredibly pleasant thing to do. There is nothing that says “Ah, autumn” like the smell and look of a smoldering pile of lawn detritus. Your neighbors may cast aspersions on your moral character, but they will secretly enjoy your bit of scofflaw activity.
You Can Get Rid of Leaves
Getting rid of leaves is more of an art than a science. You can always follow tradition and rake them up, place them in recycling bags and haul them down to the curb. But, you may want to be more imaginative, and that is why mowing, composting, paying children exorbitant wages, procrastinating, burning and blowing are all more fun and interesting. Good luck with your seasonal tussle with leaves!