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Thursday, November 06, 2008
Take the backache out of leaf gathering
I LIKE gardens when they are small, for mine is small! I like them to be defined, obviously under control in every season, and ideally, enclosed.
Irrespective of their size most gardens fill up with leaves during the month of November and whether the plot is measured in acres or square yards, enclosed or open to the wilds, these need to be collected.
Fallen leaves are an asset to those who like to make quality compost, but gathering them up demands time, patience, and most important of all, you have to have the right tools! Even those who do not make compost are lumbered with the task of clearing leaves from the garden, and what a chore it can be.
For those with large grassed areas to clear, the use of a leaf blower will be found absolutely essential, whilst those with small areas are best served with a good leaf rake. I have tried both.
Visit any garden equipment shop this month and you'll be stunned by the range of leaf-blowers and rakes that are available. There is virtually a machine and model for every size of garden, from the simplest sweeper through to the most sophisticated motorised machines which combine shredding and composting.
The most versatile I found are the hand-held, light-weight models, (usually electric) which are limited somewhat by the length of cable attached. Of course you can always use an extension lead! However, the more flexible, heavier models are usually petrol-driven, are more powerful, and priced accordingly. When operating these, it is advisable to wear goggles.
A common problem with all blower-vacs is in how they deal with wet leaves. I found that the best results came from using the blower first (to un-stick the leaves) and then the vacuum mode to collect them. Try to buy a model which has a speed control for some of the more powerful are not ideally suited for use in small gardens; they blow everything away with the leaves, in particular any gravel you may have!
Small gardens in town and country are much better served with a proper leaf-rake rather than an expensive blower-vac.
Choose carefully for few rakes are designed for the dual purpose of collecting leaves and scarifying the lawn, and fewer still achieve either. For leaf gathering I can highly recommend the plastic headed leaf-rake from True Temper for it comes with a weatherproof, polypropylene handle, the top half of which is covered in soft rubber.
The yard-wide, black-toothed head will clear leaves from a medium to small lawn as fast as any machine, so don't be put off from buying one.
They're cheap, easily sourced and last for years.
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