Leaf Wars- Burn, Blow, Rake, Shred

My annual battle of the leaves has begun. Right now I'm winning, only because most of the trees that surround my home are still holding back. Over the years I've tried many tactics  hoping to make this routine ritual a little easier. 

Even with an arsenal of leaf blowers and leaf shredders, gathering and  disposing of leaves is time consuming. Just when you think you have the upper hand, along comes a "heavy rain" or "strong wind". Even a 200 mph leaf blowers is  no match for moving a large volume of leaves. It's akin  to pushing a peanut with your  nose. Leaf shredders don't work  with "wet leaves".  Waiting for them to dry only makes the task of gathering and disposal harder.

I've finally  come to the realization that disposing of  leaves requires a lot of different approaches. Sometimes we have to resort to the old  ways
"raking leaves by hand ". If done right,  sometimes this is  a lot quicker than, mowing, mulching or blowing.   It requires a little  more of a physical effort, but not lot if you follow my suggestions on "how to use a tarp" when gathering leaves.  You'll find a tarp is a very effective and efficient low tech means of moving large volumes  of leaves.
 

The following is merrily my suggestions for purchasing a  tarp and how to use  it effectively:

1. Invest  $15-20 in a good tarp. "Size does Matter" so make sure you get  at least 10 x15 or 10x20 heavy duty tarp with grommets.  Be sure  "if you are burning leaves, never drag your tarp close to the edge of the fire. I've experienced  first hand how quickly plastic melts on the edges of a tarp. It's not a pretty sight.

2. Rake your leaves in a series of rows or piles, leaving a 10ft width to drag your tarp in between.  Simply rake leaves on your tarp. "Only rake enough leaves to cover about 2/3 of your tarp."

3. Moving the leaves is simple once they are on the tarp. Simply grasp the upper ends of the tarp and pull. Sometimes I use a bungee to hook the opposite  ends of the tarp  together which helps if I exceeded my 2/3 coverage.

4. If  you have to carry your leaves several hundred feet in order to dispose of,  I recommend employing the use of a riding mower. I  use a ski handle fastened behind my mower. I then use 2 heavy duty rubber type bungee with hooks wrapped around the ski handle to pull my tarp. This is why the tarp should be heavy duty, so you can pull it across rough surfaces without the fear of it tearing.