Use a garden vacuum for spring cleaning

Spring is here and it’s time to get the garden in shape for the next growing season. For many people, this means pulling out the rake and removing all the debris and leaves that were deposited during the long winter months. Often it takes a full weekend to remove all the deciduous leaves. Failure to do so can mean your lawn won’t get off to a good start to the next growing season. In many places, local ordinances prohibit you from burning spring cleaning debris due to clean air problems. This frequency leaves you with the option of taking it to the curb to pick it up or use as mulch.

 

Alternatively, you can use a garden vacuum to clean the garden in just an hour or two. Lawn vacuums are specialized garden equipment that are specifically designed to remove leaves, trash, and small sticks or branches from gardens and lawns. Many larger ride-on lawn mowers can be converted to double as garden vacuums. These conversions are more cost effective compared to buying a dedicated lawn vacuum.

 

Garden vacuum systems come in several different forms. Probably the most common comes in the form of a trailer that is pulled behind a lawn mower. A large fan is located on the trailer and provides suction to the mower discharge chute through a tube connected to the trailer. The fan also provides the power to blow away debris as it enters the enclosed trailer. An advantage of this system is the fact that all leaves and debris are cut and shredded during the vacuum process. All of which add to its value as a mulch for your garden and landscaping. Specific lawn vacuums are specialized equipment for lawn maintenance. The most common owner-owned units are walk-behind models that have a vacuum unit at the front of the unit. The leaves are deposited in a disposable container or bag at the back of the machine, which facilitates their disposal or use as mulch. Many units have portable slides that can be used to clean up landscaping or garden debris. One downside to dedicated garden vacuums is that they are limited to picking up leaves and don’t do a good job cutting through debris like sticks and branches.

 

If you have a large enough property then it may be worth buying a ride-on leaf vacuum. However, it would probably be cheaper to hire a professional to do the work each spring and fall. Another available alternative is to rent a garden vacuum from your local rental equipment. This really makes sense if you have limited storage space and only use the equipment for a few days each spring and fall. In either case, using a lawn or garden vacuum can save you a lot of time considering that you can do several days of work in many hours.