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What to do with all those leaves
Nov 11, 2015
There may still be nearly two months left in autumn, astronomically speaking, but meteorologically, winter is all but here. And as fall begins to wind down, most of us have more than a few leaves lying in the yard. But before you instinctively reach for the rake and a handful of trash bags, consider these enlightened alternatives to raking and bagging.
The first step is, of course, collection. Good, old-fashioned rakes are great for small lots, but if you have a lot of ground to cover, there are some convenient options that don’t involve so much manual labor.
- Grab a leaf blower. These work especially well if your yard is large. Rather than rake all of your leaves by hand, use the forced-air power of a leaf blower to push them into tidy piles.
- Use a lawnmower. If your lawnmower features a bag for collecting grass clippings, you’re in business. Simply run the lawnmower over fallen leaves and let it chop them into bite-sized pieces that flow right into the collection bag.
- Suck it up. Dedicated leaf vacuums are readily available for rental from home improvement stores, but many leaf blowers can work in reverse. Just attach a collection bag to the outlet, and let the motor do all of the work. Some models actually mulch leaves as you go, compacting them into more manageable volumes.
Once you’ve successfully herded your fallen leaves, it’s time to get rid of them. Sending them off to the landfill used to be standard practice, but more environmentally friendly options are available.
- Curbside yard waste pickup. This couldn’t be simpler. For a small monthly fee, many waste management companies will provide a special bin into which you can load leaves, twigs, pine cones, branches, and other lawn detritus. Just put it out along with your weekly trash and recycling, and let the pros carry it away.
- Mulching centers. If door service isn’t an option, some municipalities offer free community mulching centers. Drop off your leaves in the autumn, and come back for low- or no-cost bags of mulch in the spring. Private companies offer similar services, usually for a reasonable fee.
- Home composting. Provided you blend them with sufficient amounts of green matter, fallen leaves can make valuable contributions to your compost bin. High-nitrogen, high-calcium varieties like ash, elm, linden, cherry, poplar, and maple can be mixed right in with your other compost. It’s best to shred them first, though, to speed up what could otherwise be a long process.
Whatever you do with your leaves, remember to clean them out of your gutters before the snow begins falling. Once the mercury regularly dips below freezing, once-benign leafy gutters can transform into unwieldy masses of frustration.
Journey Homes is a proud member of the Colorado community, and we’d love to show you around the area. To arrange a tour of one of our affordable homes, please contact Journey Homes today at 970-460-8002 in Northern Colorado, or at 719-648-2914 in Colorado Springs.
Thank you for reading our Journey Homes Blog!
Written by: Bob Golba, Sales Manager
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