My family has a home that is surrounded by evergreens. We also have a large maple tree in
both the front and back yard, along with an oak tree and two flowering trees. With their leaves starting to fall, it’s clear that raking season has officially arrived.
While we do mulch some of the leaves towards the end of the season, we still rake most of them up
throughout the fall. Having a plan in place makes the process much easier—and even a little more enjoyable.
1. Schedule Your Raking Sessions: With so many trees shedding leaves, it’s tempting to let the yard go until all the leaves are down, but that just means more work later. We break up the job by scheduling a few
raking sessions throughout the season. Picking a day each week, over several weeks, to rake helps keep the piles under control and the yard looking neat.
2. Use a Tarp for Easy Collection: One of our favorite tricks for leaf cleanup is using a tarp. After raking the leaves into a pile, we drag the tarp nearby and rake the leaves directly onto it. Once it's full, we can easily haul the leaves to our compost pile or bag them for disposal. This saves time, effort, and
keeps everything contained—no need to worry about re-raking stray leaves. 3. Rake with the Wind: We've learned the hard way that raking against the wind only leads to frustration! Now, we always work with the wind on our side. Starting on the side where the wind is blowing helps move the leaves naturally in the right
direction, making the job easier and quicker.
4. Use a Leaf Blower and a Quality Rake: Start by using a leaf blower to quickly gather leaves into large piles, especially in tricky areas like around flower beds and under trees.
Once the piles are formed, switch to a quality rake to collect and tidy up any remaining leaves, ensuring a thorough
clean-up.
Using both tools together can significantly reduce the time spent, making the task much more manageable.
5. Divide the Yard into Zones: With so many trees, raking the whole yard can feel overwhelming, so we divide it into smaller zones. Tackling one section at a time makes the job feel more manageable. We start in one area, focus on clearing it completely, then move on to the next. It’s also a great way to track our progress and feel accomplished!
6. Keep Your Tools Ready: Having the right tools makes all the difference. We check our rakes and tarps at the beginning of the season to make sure they’re in good shape. Storing them in an easy-to-reach spot in the shed means we’re ready to go when the leaves start falling, and we don’t waste time looking for what we need.
By the end of raking season, once we’ve mulched the last of the leaves, we can look out at our clear yard with a sense of satisfaction.
Having an organized approach makes it feel like
less of a chore, and even though it takes some effort, Joe and I enjoy working together outside. There’s something satisfying about seeing the leaves collected and knowing that our yard is ready for the winter season.
