Tools to Clear Away Fall Leaves | This Old House

This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows the best ways to collect leaves for any size yard. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)

Shopping List for Clearing Away Fall Leaves:
- Paper leaf bags with cardboard collar, used to hold leaves for town pick up

Tools for Clearing Away Fall Leaves
- leaf rake
- plastic tarp
- portable leaf blower
- walk-behind leaf blower
- walk-behind power vacuum
- leaf vacuum
- hearing and eye protection

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Tools to Clear Away Fall Leaves | This Old House

[mnight]

This is the kind of weather I LOVE. The crisp fall air, the smell, the colors, the chilly weather, LOVE IT. Go home to a hot bowl of soup and sit back and watch a movie with my sweetheart. I love Fall!!!

[johnathanbahna]

Honestly the rake provided the cleanest result while the riding mower provided the best material for repurposing into the lawn. The two extremes were the most effective in my opinion.

[Jcrfter]

Sorry what now? Rake it on the TAAARPH?

[paultanner]

I always liked Roger. I enjoy these TOH videos.

[microphonixvirtualstudio]

I raked leaves with lawnmower, . It worked very well!

[sminthian]

Aw, I was waiting for him to talk about his Snappah mower...

[PlayingwithPawz]

I miss Roger wish he was still on the show

[oldtwinsna]

Roger is an expert in leaf collection.

[rogerpullin]

I owned Lawn Service company 30+ years, tried these methods the first few years, HATED IT. Started mowing leaves, just block shoot, sometimes you needed to mow them three or four times, mower much quicker than
rake or blower, when you are done load trailer and leave, no leaves to find a home for. The lawns seemed to love it.

[groundup]

Weddah it’s spring oh fawww yaaahd clean awp is a mmmmuuss!

[triciadantonio]

The guy in the yellow said rake it over to the

[mikesecondo]

Gas powered walk behind blower and into the woods they go...very simple!!

[wolfpackflt]

Install a mulching kit on your mower and away you go. That will chop the leaves into small pieces and will provide nutrients to the weeds you call grass.

[billcenne]

I mulch all the leaves first with the riding mower before I put on the rear bagger. I found two used triple baggers dirt cheap, so when the bags are full, I take all eight of them to the dump site, dump them, and go back and bag some more. This eliminates one step and is a lot cheaper.

[jellyboy]

get a mower put it on the highest level cut them all up then put a bag on your mower collect the leaves.

[charles-yzc]

A beat way is to grind them with your mower, they make good fertilizer that composts fast

[funnyfarm]

Slaps roof of trailer
"This hopppaaaah will fit so many leaves!"

[gachitadamunga]

Translation: top = tarp, or tarpaulin. Just in case you you're not from Boston.

[oliviagreen]

I couldn’t find a Taaap in the store, would a tarp work instead?

[kevini]

1. I would just raise the mower up and mulch them in my own yard when I lived in NY state.

2. Growing up I had my own lawn care business. Since a few of my clients were in rural areas. I would take up the leaves and just dump them in the woods. Let nature take care of them from there...