Leave the Leaves – Or Sweep Them

 

The leave the leaves message is strong this time of year as ecosystem lovers work to educate people that keeping your leaves on your property benefits so many insects, the birds who eat them, and other lesser known critters that help make this world go round (fireflies!). The message always needs to include encouraging people to a) use gentle methods to get the leaves off grass and sidewalks to avoid chopping up critters that are inside the leaves, and b) keeping those leaves on your landscape (for example as mulch) so that you get the benefits of them staying there. Picking them up with a lawnmower or shredding them afterwards only gives you part of the benefits.

I’ve written about this topic before -- who could forget my snarky posts about How to Rake Leaves and Get a Broom -- and this year I’d like to recommend a new product: the lawn sweeper. This product was new to me this year. It is available in hardware stores, was easy to assemble, and offers height adjustments so that you can use it on your tallest turfgrass and your flattest sidewalks.

This product has no blades or motor, so it is quiet and easy to use. The basket is light and easy to empty in a place where leaves are more suitable. As a smaller, older person, I found it very useful. When you don’t need it, lean it up against a wall to minimize storage space. The brushes may need to be replaced over time.

Note: there are a number of brands out there; I have obscured the name on mine to illustrate that I am not recommending any particular one and do not make any money from recommending this type of product. I did buy a 26-inch model because I have a large yard.

P.S. The area to the left in this picture used to have a lot more grass! I had a crew remove a 3x100 foot section of grass a few weeks ago and the area was heavily mulched with wood chips.