The 2022 Leaf Campaign kicked off back on October 26th. At the time that I posted my first update on November 6th I had dragged a total of 25 tarps of leaves to the curb. Let’s summarize my progress since then:
- November 7 – 7 tarpfulls
- November 8 – 3 tarps
- November 9 – 4 tarps
- November 10 – 2 tarps
- November 11 – 2 tarps
- November 12 – 4 tarps
- November 14 – 2 tarps
- November 15 – 1 tarp – The last three days of the campaign included carefully extracting the leaves from the pachysandra patches alongside the house and from the front garden using my metal leaf rake and by hand. It’s grueling and painstaking work.
So, in addition to the 25 tarpfulls I hauled to the curb previously, I hauled another 25 tarps from Nov. 7 to Nov. 15 for a total of 50 tarps this campaign. Phew! I’m happy to announce that the 2022 Leaf Campaign is officially over! Some observations:
It was a short campaign. The leaves began falling a bit early this year and the trees were totally bare by November 14th. The last stubborn leaves of the season typically hang on to the oaks until the last week of November into the first week of December. I’m guessing some of this premature leaf-fall is due to changing climate patterns.
It was a dry campaign. There wasn’t much rain nor was there any snow to compete with this year. Dry leaves meant more leaves per tarp. Dragging dry leaves on dry ground is the optimal. The snow thankfully held off until the evening of November 15th, just hours after the campaign was completed.
It was a “lighter” campaign. Last year, I recorded 70 tarpfulls largely because of the very wet conditions. Wet leaves mean less leaves per tarp. But I usually average around 60 tarpfulls per year. Why only 50 tarps this year? 1) As I mentioned, the unusually dry conditions allowed me to haul more leaves in less trips. 2) This past summer’s gypsy moth caterpillar infestation reduced the amount of leaf mass. 3) Two of the smaller oaks in our backyard had died and were leafless. Both trees were removed on October 3rd.
It was a focused campaign. I retired from L3Harris on October 31st, which meant that I could focus exclusively on the leaves after that date.
Overall, it was a great campaign. I’m usually physically worn-down and threatening to sell this “leaf-trap” and buy a condo at the conclusion of a campaign, but this year I’m in good shape. The conditions mentioned above helped out a lot. As usual, I’m very grateful for my Husqvarna 350BT 50cc backpack leafblower. Once again, the blower played a major role in the campaign as it has every year since 2016. Retiring can be a jarring change for some. The leaf campaign provided a “soft landing” transition from the grind of employment to leisurely retirement. I climbed up on the roof twice during the campaign to clear the leaves out of the gutters with an electric blower. That’s a risky proposition, especially as I get older. I’ll need to investigate possible options, including the installation of leaf guards on the gutters.