Landscapers rushing to rake up late-falling leaves before collection sites close

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - You may have enjoyed our unusually warm October, but with everything comes a price.  And in your yard, it’s probably in the form of a stubborn tree or two still shedding its leaves.

"For the last ten years we are mostly done by now," said David Hernandez, owner of a landscape company based in Minneapolis. "But this season is like, my goodness!"

David and his crew are scrambling from home to home trying to beat several things:  the daylight, the potential for snow, and the fact that many yard waste disposal sites are within a couple of weeks of closing down.

And, they have a list of 35 homes still awaiting their services.

"Extremely busy for the next two weeks," David told FOX 9. "I mean we are working from 7 to 5, 7 to 5:30, depending on how much light we have outside the houses, you know!"

The crunch is on, as well, because homeowners who get yard waste picked up curb-side are facing an imminent deadline.

Minneapolis ends its yard waste collection after this week.  St. Paul ends after the following week.  Many suburbs and private haulers are on those same schedules, with many yard waste sites targeting to close by November 30.

Warm weather in October pushed peak colors back by at least a week, in some cases by several weeks.   Therefore, trees held onto leaves longer, which has stretched the raking season until Thanksgiving.  Some trees are still full.

There are a few yard waste sites that are open year-round, but most do not.

David, the landscaper, is racing to get to all his customers but keeps a good mood about it.

"Do you enjoy this? Well, I have to! I have to enjoy it!  I have to try to enjoy it, yeah!"