Fall Yard Clean Up Tips

We here at The Tony Marino Team of Royal LePage Top Producers Real Estate had a phone call the other day asking a good question.  The age old question " Why do I need to rake up my leaves?"

I stopped and thought about it for a minute my answer was because of two reasons;  one reason, was simple enough because if you live in the city your neighbours might not be to pleased with you if your yard looks unkept and leaves from your yard are blowing into their neatly raked yard.  The second reason is the more important one to you, if you don't get those leaves of the lawn, what will happen is that the leaves coupled with snow will actually smother your lawn.   

The leaves that you rake up can be put to good use.  You can cover perennials after they are cut back in the flower beds to protect them from frost over the winter.  The best use for raked up leaves though (apart from the kids jumping in the pile)  is composting.  Every year people run to the garden centers to buy peat moss and top soil and such, well if you start composting you can save yourself some money.  You can get the composting bins from the city at a low price or go to a gardening centre or home improvement store for some fancier ones that make it easier to turn the pile.  You can even build your own if you want. It's easy all it takes is some chicken wire and a few stakes. 

Step 1)  Found a spot in your yard away from everything.

Step 2) With a hammer pound four- 4 foot stakes into ground about 12-16 inches into the ground should be fine. Position the stakes into a square with each stake being 24 inches apart. from the other.
NOTE: CALL MANITOBA HYDRO "CALL BEFORE YOU DIG" LINE BEFORE YOU PUT STAKES INTO GROUND.

Step 3) Wrap chicken wire around your stakes attaching wire to stakes using cable ties.

Step 4) Put leaves into bin. Try to flip piles every so often. 

Before you know it you will your own organic rich fertilizer.

Please email us if you have an questions about this or if you have any ideas to share with us.