ARS Landscape Materials and Supply is taking fall compost and soil orders through October 31, with Arvada deliveries available into late November.

For local gardeners, the window offers time to prepare beds before winter rather than leave the work until spring.

Delivery timing matters: compost still needs to be spread and mixed into workable soil before the ground freezes.

To estimate an order, measure the bed and choose an application depth.

Three cubic yards cover about 1,000 square feet at one inch deep, while a new bed may need three to four inches mixed into the soil.

ARS sells compost, screened topsoil and other materials by the cubic yard, with delivery and loading at its Arvada yard.

Front Range autumn weather can shift quickly, so ordering before the deadline and allowing time for installation may help gardeners finish the job this fall.

Jeffco Public Schools has welcomed six electric school buses and six bidirectional chargers, bringing quieter rides and cleaner air to the roads the buses travel.

The district celebrated the arrival with staff, community leaders and project partners at a ribbon cutting.

Xcel Energy is providing about $3.4 million through its Electric School Bus Program to help pay for the buses, chargers and charging systems, in partnership with Jeffco and Highland Electric Fleets.

The chargers can potentially send electricity from parked bus batteries back to the grid when needed, though that will not happen every time a bus is parked.

Golden Mayor Laura Weinberg noted that quieter, tailpipe-emission-free trips could benefit neighbors as well as students.

Drivers and trainers are preparing to operate and charge the buses, but routes have not yet been announced.

District leaders hope this first group will build experience for a broader transition, although no additional buses were announced.