Colorado's Indian Summer Keeps on Giving

One reason people love Colorado is because there are four distinct seasons. This has never been more the case than this year as the Indian Summer has lingered on the Front Range for two glorious months.

Since the beginning of September we've been enjoying brilliantly sunny days and 60-70 degree weather. Douglas County has seen an extension of fall colors as the characteristic scrub oak that covers the low lying hills, screening houses from neighbors and providing ample space for wildlife. These leaves turn from a glowing orange to a grocery bag brown before falling to the ground. It is true, the leaves are finally dropping which means more work for us homeowners who must rake them up.

Rather than dumping leaves in your weekly garbage, consider taking them to the Sedalia dump or a slash/mulch site (during the summer only) for composting.

I never understood why eco-friendly geeks championed the idea of composting. Why can't I put my yard waste into the garbage? I finally discovered yard waste and food scraps release carbon dioxide as they decomposed in an airless environment. If the waste is trapped under conventional garbage including plastics, and are not in an open aired-environment, the emitted gases consolidate and contribute to greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

Yesterday I finished creating a kidney shaped soil and mulch island around one of our silver maple tree. A representative from Lawn Doctor, who is fertilizing our trees and bushes with a winter feeding, recommended that I create an island so that the trunk of the tree does not get nicked by the lawn mower or weed wacker.

With much anticipation, I planted red and yellow tulip bulbs that are still available at Castle Rock Gift and Garden Center.

Resources you can use:

Sedalia Dump accepts leaves and biomass. Open year round. The hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. every Monday and Saturday. Closed on holidays.
Sedalia Dump phone number: 303.660.7470
Please note: They do not accept recyclables at this site.

Some South West Douglas County municipalities offer slash/mulch collection sites to help residents reduce wildfire danger by clearing their land from the debris shed from trees and bushes.

Summer Programs for Slash/Mulch sites that allow for drop off and pick up:

Rather than putting the slash (debris fallen from trees - pine needles, leaves, pods, and small branches) into the trash, consider a trip to the town of Castle Rock slash/mulch site located at the end of Caprice Drive, just west of the the I -25 and Wolfensberger Exit.

They are open during the summer months, May - September on Saturdays from 8 AM until 2 PM. They accept slash and offer free pine mulch. Free mulch can help offset expensive landscape projects.

Castle Pines North also has a slash/mulch program that runs during the summer.

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Denver Metro Living at its Finest: Life in South West Douglas County
Lifestyle, Events, News and Gossip, and Real Estate for Castle Rock, Sedalia, Louviers, Larkspur, and Castle Pines and Castle Pines North in Colorado

Picture taken from the perimeter trail around The Rock, the signature thin butte rock in Castle Rock, Colorado. Hikes along this rock also include an off trail, un-marked rock scramble to the top. Views overlook the entire town of Castle Rock.