1. Lawn Damage
   As tleaves build up what they can actually do is mat together, this forms a barrier over the top of the grass which means that your lawn can’t breather. The following spring the full extent of the damage will be evident with bald patches.
2. Save Money
   There is another reason to collect leaves though and it can save you money. Leaves make an excellent addition to your compost heap, which means you can save cash next year on buying compost.
3. Save More Money
   If instead of compost you wanted mulch (there is a difference) you would need to start a separate pile for leaves. This is explained further in the article what to do with your fall leaves.
4. Safety
   On harder non-porous surfaces such as concrete, tarmac, block paved or a slabbed area decaying leaves can become a big hazard when they are wet. Layers and layers of wet compressed leaves are very slippy not just to people but also on sloping driveways.
5. Aesthetics
   Although seasonal leaf fall looks nice at first, it’s a bit like snow, after the first day and a bit of rain it all looks a bit brown and sludgy, nice.

Find out how to look after your lawn by collecting the leaves in this how to use a lawn sweeper.

1. Bin them
2. Make compost from them
3. Make mulch from them

The first point is not really worth discussing, it seems wasteful to me to throw something away that could be made use of, so we’ll discuss the second two options here.

What’s the difference between compost and mulch?

It is true that mulch will eventually become compost, but compost is  nutrient rich decomposed matter that feeds plants and should be dug in to the soil. Mulch on the other hand is partly decomposed bulkier matter. The purpose of mulch is to create a barrier between your soil and the elements. Effectively it is a layer insulation, similar to loft / attic insulation. This not only stabilises the temperature of your soil but it also acts as a weed suppressant. Over the course of the year it will break down and the nutrients will be passed on to your plant. The cycle can then begin again.

What do you need to do create leaf mulch?

You simply have to shred your leaves. Un-shredded leaves pack down quicker which mean they can’t trap as much air. Shredding your leaves prevents this and consequently makes better mulch. Some lawn sweepers feature a built in shredder.

If you have too many leaves you may need to create a holding bin or ‘mulch bin’ to keep your leaves separate from the compost bin.

How to create compost from leaves

Leaves should really be kept separate from your compose bin. They take a lot longer than most of the organic matter you would put in your bin. Some people call leaf compost, leaf mould, either way the best way to get something useful from you leaves is to create a leaf mould compost bin. This differs from your usually compost bin because it is best if it is open sided and the contents are exposed to the elements. The break down of the leaves is accelerated by exposure to the rain and frost. The simplest way to make a bin for your leaves is to take four posts, hammer them into the ground, put mesh around the four sides and pile in your leaves. You will then want to put something over the top, to prevent the blowing out and ending up where they started. Some people use an old piece of carpet.

So here goes, you’ve decided to tackle the mountain of leaves that have built up in your yard…

Step 1
The first thing you need to do is make sure you are armed with the correct gear. You will need standard gardening wear with the addition of a thick pair of gloves for any spines / thorns that find there way into the collection bag. In terms of equipment and apparatus you will obviously need a leaf sweeper, but also some where to put the leaves once you have collected them. If you’re running short of ideas check out the what to do with your collected leaves article.

Step 2
Once you’ve got your kit together and have decided what you are going to do with your leaves it’s time to prepare the area. I always prefer to clear the area I’m going to work on before I get started, instead of barging objects out of the way as I wheel the leaf sweeper along the lawn. The leaf sweeper will pick up twigs but anything bigger than this should be moved before hand, make sure that your lawn is free of branches and stones.

Step 3
You’ll next want to set the height of your lawn sweeper – this is very dependant on the length of the grass that you are working on. If you’re not working on grass, but instead on the patio or drive, you will want it set to its lowest setting.

Step 4
Start walking along, pushing your leaf sweeper in front of you.  Try and stay methodical and work in strips along your garden, if you find that you are not picking up leaves there could  be two reasons for this; you could be walking too fast so the lawn sweeper is not finding enough traction, or, you could have the sweeper set too high. Slow down first, if that doesn’t help then lower the sweeper.

Lawn Sweeping Method

Step 5
To a certain extent the weather will determine how often you will need to empty your leaf sweeper. What I mean by that is that if it has been raining and the leaves you are collecting are wet the leaf sweeper will become very heavy very quickly; hence you will need to empty it more often. The size of your collection box will also determine how often you will need to empty it.

Size of collection bag – This important, if the bag is too big your not going to be able to handle it to empty it into your compost heap, too small and your going to be emptying it too often.

Height Adjustment – Having the facility to adjust the height will allow you to use your lawn sweeper on different surfaces and on different heights of grass. You’ll get more use out of it for your money, so it probably is worth spending a little extra to get a sweeper with this facility.

Shredding Facility – If you can find a leaf sweeper with this feature you’re on to a winner! Not only does it collect the leaves, it also shreds them. You’ll only find this facility on a powered leaf sweeper though. I can hear you saying, why do I need a shredder? Well for starters you can get more in the collection bag – less frequent emptying and secondly once emptied in to the compost heap or leaf pile (see What you can do with your collected leaves) the leaves can be broken down quicker. There is one down side to having a lawn sweeper with a shredder – it is not going to be suitable for use on multiple surfaces, the shredders not going to last long with grit etc going through it.

Working Width – This really is an individual requirement and is determined by the size and style of your garden. If you have a large open lawn then get the largest working width you can. If you’ve got a lot of nooks and crannies though your going to struggle with a wide sweeper to get in to them, so try and find a smaller one. Another matter to consider is that of storage, if you don’t have a lot of storage room then for obvious reasons it’s not ideal to get a large lawn sweeper.

Weight – Weights range from 10kg for a simple hand powered lawn sweeper up to 40 or 50 kg for the powered variety. If you’ve got a step leading to you shed, store or garage then try and get one that’s as light as possible.

Power – This will probably be a by product of the style of lawn sweeper you choose, I think there are more important factors to consider than the power of it.

Power Method – Hand powered, gas powered or electric, at the moment those are your options, there are a number of factors to consider when making your choice: How long is your garden, or more importantly how far are you going to be away from a power source? If you answered a long way then a gas powered sweeper may be best for you. You could use an extension lead, but there are dangers involved in using electricity outside.

Lawn sweepers sometimes called leaf sweepers are in my opinion a much better option to the widely used leaf blowers. A leaf blower merely blows all of the leaves in to a pile which you then have to pick up, and then there are always those annoying little pieces that you can’t get up and leave unsightly dark patches on your lawn until it next rains. A leaf sweeper is perhaps best thought of as a vacuum cleaner for the lawn, similarly to the traditional upright vacuum cleaner the lawn sweeper also has a rotating brush mechanism that sweeps the leaved in to the collection box at the back. All you then need to do is to decide what to do with your leaves.

There are three main power sources for leaf sweepers: Hand powered – you either push or pull it. Powered – Similarly to a lawn mower this is either petrol powered or electric powered. Towed – You hitch it up to your utility vehicle.

The type you choose would really be determined by the size of your lawn and the amount of debris it builds up, although it is not always that case the large lawn requires a towed or powered lawn sweeper. You may have a large lawn with just one deciduous tree if this is the case then the leaves on the lawn would be relatively isolated so you may decide that a hand powered sweeper is more than sufficient. On the other hand you may have a small lawn with a lot of trees that shed their leaves. With a lawn full of leaves you really will need to go for the powered option.

Although called lawn sweepers most of them will actual make a very good job at sweeping other surfaces such as concrete and tarmac driveways, patios, decking and a whole host of other outdoor surfaces. This means that your lawn sweeper will be used all year round, so it’s not just another piece of gardening equipment taking up valuable space in your store.