How to Quickly Get Rid of Leaves on Your Small Lawn

 If you have a small lawn but it is full of leaves every autumn, then it becomes that annual chore of raking and bagging.

It can easily become 10 or more bags easily, depending on the trees in your area.  But after years of tackling this chore, I decided on a different approach.

Rake some (small layer, not too thick) into your flower beds and veg gardens to rot and be ready to dig into in the spring to help nourish the soil.  That should take care of some.

But What To Do with the REST?

I am not big on spending money, as most who know me, say I am somewhat "frugal" but sometimes it actually is the best investment.

What am I Talking About?

Leaf Lawnmower or Lawn Sweeper...

Earthwise LSW70021 21-Inch Leaf & Grass Push Lawn Sweeper, Width, Black

Yep, I said it.  If you don't have a huge property or lawn to deal with, you can upgrade your lawnmower to one that actually vacuums and sucks up leaves, mulches them into the bag and now you simply empty it into those leaf bags to put at the end of the driveway.

This is totally opposite to those leaf blowers, which are super noisy especially on a weekend morning!  These mowers actually suck up pine needles and leaves rather than just blow them around.

With the leaves falling now, it might be something worth investing in.  You end up with way less leaf bags for pickup or drop off.

Just something to think about :)

HAPPY FALL 

Leaf Bag Chute - How to Make Quick Work of Leaves and Garden Debris - Saves Time

Usually in my yard, I am lucky enough that the leaves get blown out of our yard.  But not this year, and I don't know about you, but I always found those brown leaf bags awkward to fill.

You almost have to climb inside them to open them wide and then you need someone to hold them while you fill it.  Sounds good, unless you are doing this alone, then it is seriously awkward as half the leaves end up on the ground and it feels like you are working double time until it is half full and stabilized!

Leaf Bag Chute

It is such a simple and straight forward design but truly does the trick, especially if you do not have helping hands when it comes to raking time!

It helps to stabilize the bag and keep it open.  It folds flat when done so you can store it with your garden supplies and has plastic corrugation so that it repels wetness from wet grass, leaves and garden debris.

Although I don't have the same amount of leaves to deal with as my neighbours, I do use these garden bags for yard waste and weeds etc, and found using bags very awkward alone.  I used to get creative and pin them to the side of the shed, but this leaf chute, in my opinion is worth the investment.

Get the Bottom Corners of the Bag Filled

I always found the bag would try and fold itself again as I was standing there with a rake full of leaves, by using this leaf chute you can open the bag properly and the leaves can be more compacted to fill the corners.

The problem has always been, keeping the opening open.  Very frustrating to have a rake full of leaves or hands full of garden weeds and debris and have the bag fold over on itself.

Lay the Bag on Its Side if you Don't Have a Leaf Chute

One way I managed to fill bags without any aids or help was to lay an open bag on its side and pin down with a rock and simply slide weeds and debris into it until about 1/4 full, then stand it up.  But I do believe this leaf chute is a better option especially for leaves where you are not down on you knees in the garden but upright with a rake.

Giant Leaf 

 Scoop

As I searched for easier ways to scoop up leaves, I came across many styles of leaf scoops such as the one above.  You simply wear them like mitts and grab a pile of leave or garden debris to place in the bag.

So What if I Don't Have a Leaf Chute or a Scoop?

Here is what I do.  Rake the leaves into a pile.  Lay your open paper garden waste bag on its side with a rock to weigh it down and then take a snow shovel scoop and then shuffle the leaves sideways into the bag until about 1/4 full.  At this point it should stand on its own and you can continue with your filling.

I personally have found those lightweight snow scoop style shovels to be an awesome way to fill leaf bags.  A snow shovel scoop also gets wet leaves off the patio, which was always a pain with the rake.

Another option is to fill a container such as in the picture and then with help transfer to a garden waste bag if you prefer.

But at the end of the day, if you have a lot to deal with in your yard, investing in a couple of tools to make life easier is worth it.