It’s not spring until the free mulch giveaway sponsored by Denver Recycles and Denver Parks and Recreation.

Following an annual spring tradition, we woke up early, grabbed coffee and headed out the door for the TreeCycle Mulch Giveaway. We arrived 40 minutes before opening and took our places as the 10th and 11th in line. It seems every Denver resident has discovered the benefits of mulch—especially when it’s free.

Christmas trees are chopped, crushed and turned into mulch between January and May by Denver Recycles, a program of Denver Public Works and Solid Waste Management, and Denver Parks and Recreation. In addition to the huge piles of mulch, A1 Organics sells dark rich compost at the south side of the lot.

In 2001, when we first started taking advantage of the free mulch and low-cost compost, it wasn’t nearly as popular. We’d get to the giveaway around 8:00, pull right in and load up our cars, first with bags of compost and then with bags of mulch.