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Let those leaves fall -- The Claw is back!

Sacramento Leaf Season officially returns with curbside pick-up

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED NOV 1, 2021

It's time for The Claw to make its appearance on Sacramento streets. (Photo

courtesy City of Sacramento.)

What metallic monster returns to Sacramento the day AFTER Halloween? The Claw, of course!

Nov. 1 is the official start of Sacramento Leaf Season and curbside pick-up of green waste. And with that pick-up comes the specially equipped mechanical leaf picker-upper affectionately nicknamed The Claw.

Through Jan. 23, city crews will scour and scrape the streets for leaf piles. Between now and then, each home will get about seven visits from The Claw.

“In the early part of the season, time between collections may be shorter,” says the city’s leaf season website. “As leaf drop volume grows, and if wind and rainstorms occur, it can take crews longer to rotate through the entire city.”

Without rain, it usually takes the crews 12 days to rotate around the city, picking up leaf piles. But a big storm can double that estimate. The wait time is usually longer in November and December when leaf fall is greatest.

“The schedule is updated daily based on volume of yard waste from the previous day, weather conditions and equipment availability,” says the city. “Check the calendar frequently since collection dates change often. Crews work rain or shine, including holidays.”

No days off for The Claw. Crews work sevens days a week including holidays.

Some reminders:

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).

Any branches in the pile should be trimmed to 3-foot pieces.

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 – almost twice as much as visits from The Claw.

See when The Claw will visit you! For more information and the link to the calendar: SacLeafSmart.org .

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Keywords:

City of Sacramento gardening Sacramento The Claw green waste fall trees mulch leaves winter

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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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