Leaves at the farm
Leaves play a critical role in helping us build healthy soil — we use them to mulch our produce beds and add to our compost. Many don’t know leaves can be mulched/mowed; we encourage you to do this with your own lawn. But if you have too many leaves, we have two ways that SoCliff can use the leaves — we can come pick them up from your house or you can drop them off at the farm. Read below for more details.
Leaf pick-up at your property
Option #1: Vacuum only
You rake or blow the leaves to your curb or driveway and we’ll bring our leaf vacuum and suck them up.
The closer to the curb or sidewalk, the better (limited reach with vacuum).
If wind is predicted, cover pile with tarps.
Service cost:
Trip fee - $25
First 30 minutes of work - $50
Additional charge for every 15 minute increments - $25
Minimum charge of $75 for every job
Service time: While we’re still figuring this out, we believe that leaves from most small yards (.25 acre or less) can be vacuumed up in about 30 minutes.
Service area: 15 minute drive-time from SoCliff (Lakewood, Wheatridge, south Arvada, parts of Golden)
Option #2: Rake + vacuum
We come and rake/blow the leaves and vacuum them.
Service cost: $75 per labor hour
Service time: depends on the size of your yard
Service area: 15 minute drive-time from SoCliff (Lakewood, Wheatridge, south Arvada, parts of Golden)
Why pay for this service?
You’re not spending a bunch of time bagging leaves and transporting them to the farm - you get your weekends back! Plus, you’re not spending money on plastic bags.
The vacuum shreds the leaves into tiny pieces, which break down easier when they are on our produce beds, creating healthy soil quicker.
You are supporting your local farmers in a new way! This type of work helps us diversify our income stream while still living out our values of community support and healing the planet.
Leaf drop-off at the farm
Drop-off dates: 10/28, 10/29 (cancelled because of snow), 11/11, 11/12 and 11/18
Drop-off time: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Drop-off location: the farm is located at the corner of 10th and Carr streets in Lakewood
What should bags contain: only leaves or decorative grasses that are pesticide- and herbicide-free. If you have questions, please ask! Also, if possible, please don’t tie the bags as they are really hard to untie quickly.
What should bags NOT contain: garden debris, large sticks, grass that has been sprayed with pesticides, dog poop, and trash
Trash in the leaves is the biggest problem we’ve run up against. PLEASE help us by going through your leaves before bringing them to SoCliff. Remember - we want these leaves to turn into healthy soil that will help us grow healthy, clean veggies for our community.
Cost: $5 for every 10 bags, i.e. $5 for 8 bags, $5 for 3 bags, $10 for 13 bags, $10 for 19 bags
Please do not let this price prohibit you from bringing your leaves to the farm - we are happy to discuss other options. This pricing structure is our meager attempt at covering some of our time.