Fall is one of the most demanding times of the year for yard maintenance. While kids may enjoy playing in those big piles of leaves that are the essence of the season, keeping your backyard in shape might involve more than just raking. Whether you’ve got a small lawn or over an acre of land, you’ll need the right tools to get it through the season so that it looks its best when spring comes. These must-have tools are important for proper backyard maintenance during the fall.
Do you know your rakes?
Maybe an obvious choice, but not all rakes are the same or even intended for the same job, and some people end up using the wrong rake to move leaves because they don’t know any better. Just to be clear, rakes typically do one of two jobs; collecting leaves, grass, trimmings, and other light material, or scraping, leveling, and loosening soil and other surfaces. The best rakes for taking care of fall leaves are the classic fan-shaped rakes most people are familiar with. However, these aren’t a good choice for weeding, loosening soil, or leveling rocky ground. For those jobs, choose a heavy duty rake with fewer but longer teeth spaced further apart. These rakes, which aren’t intended for collecting soft yard debris, typically have a rectangular shape.
Leaf blower
This is a handy choice for people who have a larger yard or just don’t want to hassle with a rake. Unfortunately, some people consider leaf blowers to be a different kind of hassle due to engine noises, awkward backpacks, and even air pollution. Regardless, leaf blowers can make a dramatic difference when it comes to yard cleanup.
Wheelbarrow
Oddly enough, plenty of people go through seasons of yard work without a decent wheelbarrow, instead painstakingly hauling around clippings and leaves. No matter what size job your tackling, once you get wheelbarrow to help you move fall leaves and countless other yard items and debris, you’ll wonder how you ever got on without one.
Tarps
It might look simple, but enough words can’t be said about the importance of a tarp (or two…or more). The humble tarp has nearly limitless uses, from covering up outdoor firewood, providing a spot in which to rake leaves and clippings, or a place to toss dirt onto when digging up your yard.
Markers/Posts
Another simple tool which can come in handy, markers will help you keep track of important sites in your yard. This is especially important when autumn leaves start to fall and cover everything. A marker could be anything from a small stake to a large wooden pole; whatever works best to mark the spots you want to keep track of during the fall.
Wood chipper/shredder
If you’re scratching your head thinking of ways to make use of all those leaves you just collected, consider mulching them. Ideally, leaves should be tossed into a wood-chipper, however, if you don’t have a wood-chipper, another option is simply driving over them with a mulching lawnmower.
