Yes, leaves and grass can be combined in a compost bin to create a valuable soil additive for your garden. You should put nitrogen-rich items like food waste or manure on top of the leaves to help them deteriorate. Turn the compost pile once every month to ensure proportionate decomposition. It can take leaves anywhere from a few months to a full year to become usable garden compost. Rain water will help speed along this process.

Most major cities hire a leaf pickup company to come by once a week, from April through November, to haul the yard waste away. This is free curbside pickup! They will take away your leaves so long as you put them in the appropriate yard waste bags. Warning: Don’t pack the bags too full because they could be left behind if the weight exceeds 40 pounds per bag.

Two factors are most important in determining when to do a fall clean up: daily weather and seasonal timing. Regarding the weather, check the forecast for a warmer day when there is little to no wind. Raking on a calm day will ensure your leaf piles don’t get blown away with heavy wind. Regarding the time of season, you should wait until all the leaves have fallen off the trees on and around your property (including your neighbors yard.) This will likely be some time between late October and mid-November.

Once you have your leaves in big piles, use two hands to push together a big clump of leaves. Then lift the leaves and dump them into the bag. It’ll be easier if you have a leaf chute insert to put into your yard waste bag. This keeps the bag upright and reinforces the sides of the bag to prevent ripping or seam bursting. Alternatively, you can keep the opened bag on the ground and just push the leaves directly into the bag.

If you’ve ever tried to rake leaves from a huge yard with a flimsy garden rake, then you don’t even need to hear me say that I don’t recommend it. Tines that bend and break make for a horrible raking experience. Sturdy prongs make the difference between a job well done and a job poorly done. The handle should be strong, made out of hard plastic, strong wood or even fiberglass. The claws can either be plastic or metal depending on the amount of leaves in the lawn.

Most landscaping companies define a yard cleanup as clearing off the whole property of leaves, including the front, back and side yards. This is typically done by a combination of leaf raking and using a gas powered leaf blower. Some companies will provide yard waste bags whereas others will request the customer to provide those. Be sure to ask about that so everyone is on the same page.

You should try to get a ballpark estimate on the total cost for your yard cleanup. Be ready to answer questions about the size of your yard and the number of trees on your property. Ask the leaf raking service how long they’ve been doing it and what their process is like. Google their company name to make sure they have good reviews online. Click here to get a leaf removal quote from His Workmanship.