2021 Leaf Campaign – Week #5

Posted on by Tom

After 4 weeks into the 2021 Leaf Campaign, I had dragged a total of 54 tarps of leaves to the curb. In my last update, I had speculated that only 10% to 15% of the leaves remained on the oaks. That estimate was definitely on the low side. How did I fare in week #5?

Monday was a wash-out. A thin coating of snow prevented me from working on the leaves. But I wasn’t upset. I truly needed a break after a particularly exhausting work-weekend.

By Tuesday mid-afternoon, most of the snow had melted, so I fired up my Husqvarna 350BT backpack leafblower and collected the fallen leaves in the backyard, hauling 4 tarps to the curb.

On Wednesday, I climbed the extension ladder to the roof and blew the leaves out of the gutters. I also raked up 1 tarpfull of leaves that had collected near the front entranceway. The leaves that swirl through the neighborhood routinely collect in the “coves” of the front entranceway and garage.

Thursday was a breezy day and the leaves were coming down from the trees at a good clip. I fired up my backpack leafblower and collected the leaves in the backyard, including those that had accumulated in the ivy patch in the corner of the lot. I ended up dragging 4 more tarpfulls to the curb. A few hours after I finished, it looked like I hadn’t done a thing because of the leaves that continued to fall and others that swirled into our yard from the neighbors. The gutters were completely filled again.

Week #5 saw 9 more tarpfulls hauled to the curb, making 63 total for the campaign. I’m going to end up with significantly more than my usual 60 tarpfulls because of the wet conditions this year. Thursday afternoon there were still some leaves left on the trees as you can see from the photo above. It’s pitch dark when I do my weekend work commutes, so I’m waiting for daylight this morning to see what I’m up against. The weatherman is forecasting rain today and very high winds, so there’s going to be a serious amount of leafswirl in the neighborhood. No surrender! The campaign continues into week #6!

19 thoughts on “2021 Leaf Campaign – Week #5”

  1. 😳
    It’s terribly winded here this am, too! We only have 5 -1/2 dead pine trees out here in the country! What we end up getting is “bees wings” and corn husks from the harvested fields surrounding us slapped-literally-at us on days such as this 😂 Those husks can give you a good lickin’!

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    1. We haven’t gotten your wind yet, Beth, but I know it’s coming! Watch out for those flying corn husks! The power usually goes out in our neighborhood when there’s high winds because of falling tree branches.

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      2. We were soooooooo shortsighted when we bought the house in early-October 2004. We saw the trees as an amazing asset, not even thinking about the leaves that would inevitably drop. One of the dumbest things I ever did.

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  2. Hi Tom, Have you ever thought about cutting some of those leaves into your lawn for worm food? I am currently taking care of two properties which both have a ton of oak leaves. What doesn’t get piled into the garden gets mowed into the yard. You would be surprised how many leaves I have been able to mow in. An area that doesn’t get any water besides rain is at the top of the hill on one of the properties. That is the area that I have loaded with cut leaves. It’s quite amazing how many leaves that I’ve cut into that pretty small area. I have found that the grass there doesn’t die as quickly as other yards that get no rain in the dry summer months. Yes, I have raised quite a dust cloud at times, but I don’t have to bag or burn leaves.
    In one section of the yard covered by pines and oaks, I’ve put up a wire compost bin. After the mower picks up and chops up the leaves for me, I dump them in there for extra compost for whatever I need it for.
    I have used a riding mower to chop up the leaves on the hill that gets little water during the dry months. The rest has been done with a push type mower with a catcher. All of those wonderful organic leaves go into my garden for weed suppression. I have gotten a good bit of exercise walking behind the mower this year as we have had a mild winter and I have gotten more leaves up than I usually do this time of year. I’ve enjoyed the walking actually.
    You have probably thought of this. I just wanted to share that I’ve had great success with this way of dealing with natures droppings.

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    1. Thanks for the suggestion, Chris! However, with our oaks and many of the neighbors’ oak leaning over out property, the volume of leaves is tremendous. I would have no grass and a very thick blanket of leaf particles if I mulched them rather than removed them.

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      1. You’re welcome. Some of my oak leaves end up in a few other yards but I get some from other folks too so it evens out. You gotta do what you gotta do, Tom. It sounds like you are almost done for this year at least!

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      2. Thanks, Chris. Yup, after yesterday’s windstorm all of the leaves are finally down. I hope I can gather up the last of the leaves today and tomorrow if needed.

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  3. Will read this after homeschooling my kids! Answering your question: My Sunday ended up being super busy and we didn’t get home until 6 PM! I hope to recover today and also walk and read! This weekend was too crazy. Fortunately Mandy helped by teaching our youth on Saturday over zoom. If I had to prepare for that message too I think I wouldn’t have slept!

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    1. Thanks, brother! Yesterday’s wind storm is over and all of the leaves are down. I’ll be hauling lots of tarps today.
      The leaves are both an invigorating challenge and a huge physical strain. A rider mower/leaf collector is a “must have” prior to next Fall.

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