Make light work of leaf tidying
Get ready for autumn with the help of some innovative garden tools, says LOUISE MIDGLEY
RAKING leaves on an autumn day is an easy way of getting exercise and fresh air.a wide fan rake will gather the leaves into piles in the quickest time. Once collected, use a long-handled leaf grabber to scoop them up into bags or a wheelbarrow. The Grab-n-lift lightweight tool from Darlac (£19.99) is useful for people with back problems as large clumps of leaves can be collected from a standing position.
For those gardeners who are surrounded by a multitude of deciduous trees, the task of collecting vast amounts of heavy, wet leaves before they kill the grass can be a daunting prospect.
The solution lies in one of the garden tools that incorporate a combination of settings that blow, vacuum and shred leaves.
The Powervac 3000 from Flymo (£69.99) has a feature that converts from blow to vac with the flick of a switch.the Jet Vacuum even collects wet leaves and has a shredding ratio of 16:1 which helps speed up the composting process.autumn leaves, shredded or whole can be added in thin layers to a compost heap.tree leaves take longer than other green material to break down so there is no point in adding large amounts to the heap as it will slow down the whole process.
Some leaves decompose more slowly than others, these thicker leaves, such as walnut and sycamore, are best kept separate. Consider collecting the leaves in aerated bags to make leaf mould as this is a great soil conditioner.the microorganisms that drive the decay stimulate microbial activity in the soil which helps release nutrients to the roots of plants.
Good leaf mould will help separate the compacted particles of clay soil and is equally beneficial to free draining soils as it increases their water retention.
Shredded leaves can also be used as a mulch around plants or winter vegetables, where they will suppress weeds and be broken down further by earthworms.