ok dude (and I do realize from your tag that you are a girl dude) I have about 8 huge gardens on my lot and a half and I was laboriously raking things out yesterday (while accidentally hitting some poor little sprouts) and getting pretty much nowhere. It was then that my husband came up behind me started up the leaf blower and proceeded to blow out all my gardens in about an hour and a half. I did have to loosen up the mulch and leaves a little but I agree; leafblowers rock!!

at first I was a little embarassed by how loud it was and just the idea of it but now my gardens are spic and span. I also worried about the little annual seeds I threw in last fall but I cant imagine they are much more disturbed than by the raking.....

I noticed today that the new growth took less of a beating with the leaf blower than when I try to rake gently over, around or under newly emerging plants. However, the shop vac is another experience, it will suck up any plant not cemented in, you need to be careful! LOL
My neighbor really liked the idea but like my husband, has to have the big monster blower so he is going to pick up the smaller one for his wife to use in her rose/lily garden.
Works pretty slick, doesn't it?