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Golden Empire Council
Listed under: Education Families & Children Parks & Recreation
Leaf season and street pick-up extended through Feb. 6
Sacramento’s leaf season is lasting longer this new year.
Instead of its original Jan. 23 cutoff date, the City of Sacramento extended its in-street pick-up of garden waste and Christmas trees two weeks. The last date to put green waste curbside is now Feb. 6.
A quirky Sacramento tradition, in-street pick-up is limited to November through January. But city crews that operate The Claw – the articulated tractor used to scoop up the piles – have been running way behind schedule. Due to staffing shortages, Sacramento has been operating only five Claw crews; in past years, they’ve had eight.
Heavy storms in October and December further complicated pick-ups. Meanwhile, piles in some leafy neighborhoods continued to grow and grow. Both the Sacramento Bee and local TV stations reported this week about delays. The City of Sacramento already had extended its leaf season schedule to attempt to catch up.
Usually, The Claw visits residential streets seven times during leaf season, with pick-ups spaced about two weeks apart. Residents can get an estimate of when The Claw will arrive on their street using the Leaf Season collection calendar. Find the link at S acLeafSmart.org .
Some reminders:
* When recycling Christmas trees, trees should be clean of all lights, tinsel, tree stands, nails and decorations. Flocked trees will be accepted.
* Leaf piles can be no bigger than 4 by 4 by 9 feet (and just one per household). Make sure there is space between the pile and the curb so water can flow down the gutter. Also, place the pile at least 6 feet away from cars, boats, basketball hoops or other obstructions. The Claw needs room to maneuver.
* Don’t put plastic bags in street piles (including bags full of leaves). And don’t contaminate the leaf pile with trash or dog poop (a common problem).
* During leaf season, the City of Sacramento continues to pick up green waste containers. Fill those first before piling leaves in the street, advises the recycling and solid waste department. The containers will get picked up 13 times during Leaf Season while residents can expect seven visits from The Claw.
For more information: SacLeafSmart.org .
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Garden Checklist for week of May 19
Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.
* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.
* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.
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