In Praise of the Humble Rake

It’s springtime in Central Texas, and the loud drone of the gas-powered blower is nearly ubiquitous most days. On Easter Sunday this year, 8:00 am marked the start of the leaf blower in my neighborhood.

Late February and early March could trick an Austin newcomer into thinking they’d skipped a couple of seasons. Leaves on the live oaks turn hues of yellow and gold, and windy days eventually send thousands of brown leaves flying, making a carpet all around them. For the oak tree, this is by design. Oak leaves provide rich organic material that breaks down slowly over time. Given that time, the earth beneath an oak tree will be enriched with a dark brown humus to nurture the tree, mycorrhizae, and other life beneath the surface.

Understandably, many people don’t care to wait for this breakdown to happen and would prefer their grass and gardens to see the light of day. Cue the blowers. Or don’t! Turns out there’s an old fashioned tool that is just right for the job. The trusty rake.

The earliest rakes were used in China approximately 1100 B.C., with even the tines made of wood. Rakes very similar to modern rakes appeared as early as the 1500s, becoming more common from the 1870s onward. Plastic versions appeared around 100 years later.*

Rakes are ideal tools for clearing leaves because they are imperfect. That’s right! Their imperfection makes them great for the gardener and great for the garden. Anyone who has spent an hour with a rake knows that it’s nearly impossible to rake leaves completely clean from an area. And that’s the genius. The leaves that are left behind aren’t nearly enough to disturb the eye, but are just enough to help the trees and soil as they degrade over time.

So, whether you are the leaf cleaner in your garden or you hire someone, remember the power of the rake! Ask your lawn care crew to rake instead of blow your leaves. Blowers do save time, and it might cost a bit more for a crew to rake, but you always get what you pay for. A compromise might be to use blowers for hardscapes, sidewalks, and driveways while the lawn and garden are imperfectly tended by the humble rake.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rake_(tool)#:~:text=Rakes%20have%20been%20found%20as,rakes%20would%20begin%20being%20used.)