Leaves
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 364
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Leaves
Are you a person that rakes your leaves, do you own a blower and blow them, or do you run the lawn mower over them? How do you dispose of your leaves, does you city have a program that comes around and collects them, do you bag them for the trash or (even although you aren't supposed to) do you burn them?
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 575
Likes: 0
From: Western Pa
At my house, we rake em up and bag em and throw the bags i the back of my truck and I dump 'em at my unlces woods.
That was a really long, run-on sentence.
At my uncle's, on the other hand, I have it easy. I ride around on a big tractor and dump the bins in his woods. Which leads to a problem...how not to make as many trips to the woods so I can do most of the yard and not clog up the bins.
I could attach a metal duct tube from the blower on the mower to a cart so I could keep mowing longer. The downside of that is, I wouldn't be able to back up...
That was a really long, run-on sentence.
At my uncle's, on the other hand, I have it easy. I ride around on a big tractor and dump the bins in his woods. Which leads to a problem...how not to make as many trips to the woods so I can do most of the yard and not clog up the bins.
I could attach a metal duct tube from the blower on the mower to a cart so I could keep mowing longer. The downside of that is, I wouldn't be able to back up...
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,680
Likes: 1
From: Montreal Canada
bagging them is too much work. i rake them up on a tarp. then you can just haul them into the woods or in the back of your truck or wherever you want to go with them.
i have a backpack blower. a cheap homelite from biglots. paid like 100$. not quite as heavy duty as the landscapers use but good enough for my yard. i'll start in the corners, flower beds, around the cars. then blow from one side of the yard to the other going with the wind. when i have a big enough pile i'll rake it onto a tarp and drag it out to the front of the house. the city picks them up that way.
i have a backpack blower. a cheap homelite from biglots. paid like 100$. not quite as heavy duty as the landscapers use but good enough for my yard. i'll start in the corners, flower beds, around the cars. then blow from one side of the yard to the other going with the wind. when i have a big enough pile i'll rake it onto a tarp and drag it out to the front of the house. the city picks them up that way.
Posting Legend
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 30,255
Likes: 37
I just run the mower over them and the gardens to make mulch which keeps all the nutrients and minerals in the yard instead of transporting the nutrients elsewhere, sending them up in smoke, or to the landfill. I have to rake a small portion that I can't get to with the mower.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,728
Likes: 1
From: Damascus-Boring, Ore
Leaf blower/vac. 
Usually I just mow and mulch them, but 'tis the season.
Speaking of which, the wind is howling up here on the hill for the past few days. Last night it blew a Buick-sized BBQ across the deck!
Usually I just mow and mulch them, but 'tis the season.Speaking of which, the wind is howling up here on the hill for the past few days. Last night it blew a Buick-sized BBQ across the deck!
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,140
Likes: 4
From: Oak Harbor, OH
I run them over with the mower about five times. This makes them small enough that they get down to the soil.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,542
Likes: 22
From: Murphysboro, IL
I mowed the yard for the last tiem a few weeks ago and corraled them all into a pile, then dropped a match... which didn't work. So after making sure all sign of any flame was gone i sprinkled the pile with some arabian gold and then dropped another match. BINGO! The pile is now a black spot where grass never grew anyway!
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Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,940
Likes: 2
From: Eastern WA
Just do like my neighbor does, rake them into a tall pile close to the street and let the wind take care of it. Odds are there's a 75% chance the wind will blow them over to my place and I get to rake them up for him (a family of five). Never be responsible and throw away your own yard waste, make someone else do it for you 
. Once they get here, I rake them up (old oak tree, the volume of leaves is so great that you would be emptying the mower bag constantly). Once under control I run the mower over the yard. Leaves and pine needles in the street get stuffed down the storm sewer. Gotta get something back for my property tax dollars 
. Around here they *might* sweep the streets twice a year. There was a time where that was done once a month. Next year, the process repeats. They clean out the sewer in the spring. This does create a few laughs as all we wonder who's going to get to clean up "his" leaves in the fall.
*I would love to spike that oak tree one night or brush some roundup on it in the spring
. I'm sure my decent neighbors would all have their backs turned while I was working.
. Once they get here, I rake them up (old oak tree, the volume of leaves is so great that you would be emptying the mower bag constantly). Once under control I run the mower over the yard. Leaves and pine needles in the street get stuffed down the storm sewer. Gotta get something back for my property tax dollars . Around here they *might* sweep the streets twice a year. There was a time where that was done once a month. Next year, the process repeats. They clean out the sewer in the spring. This does create a few laughs as all we wonder who's going to get to clean up "his" leaves in the fall.*I would love to spike that oak tree one night or brush some roundup on it in the spring
. I'm sure my decent neighbors would all have their backs turned while I was working.
Last edited by CowboyBilly9Mile; Nov 22, 2005 at 04:49 AM.
Postmaster
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 4,155
Likes: 0
From: Southern Louisiana
I dont have any leaves in my yard but if I did, being that I rent, I would probably just leave them be. The city offers no kind of pickup or disposal. I have to deal with pine needles instead, which I just leave alone. I think if I had leaves they wouldnt bother me as much as those darn pine needles.
Elder User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 540
Likes: 0
From: Northern MD
My house is surrounded by trees, so we get a lot of leaves. I use a vacuum hooked to my tractor to mulch and vacuum them up. After that, I just dump them in the woods. Makes great top soil after a year or two.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 14,413
Likes: 3
From: Sarnia, Ontario, CANADA!
Well, I usually get a blower and blow the edges all nice and clean. As well as get the flower beds cleaned up. Then I hop on a Walker lawnmower and run over them. When the back is full (usually about one minute or so) then I dump them in a pile.
When we are all done I get a 2004 F350 with a HUGE vacuum on the back and suck them all up. When the truck is full they get dumped at the city compost site.
Oh yeah, I work for a lawn care business.
-Matt
P.S. At my house I don't worry about them. Especially considering the biggest offender of leaves (the tree on the city BLVD.) died halfway through the summer.
When we are all done I get a 2004 F350 with a HUGE vacuum on the back and suck them all up. When the truck is full they get dumped at the city compost site.
Oh yeah, I work for a lawn care business.
-Matt
P.S. At my house I don't worry about them. Especially considering the biggest offender of leaves (the tree on the city BLVD.) died halfway through the summer.
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,577
Likes: 0
From: Southern MD
I vacuum them with my lawn tractor and pile them at the curb for the county to suck up in their huge leaf collector.
I've done it 3 times so far. The trees are finally bare, so one more time after they dry from today's rain will be it.
I've done it 3 times so far. The trees are finally bare, so one more time after they dry from today's rain will be it.