There are many factors that we consider in our pricing, so here are a few: We pay our employees higher wages. This allows us to attract and retain the best in the industry, which means the Gardener working on your lawn isn't going to be gone before the end of the season (we hope!). Our goal is for our Gardeners to be happy working here and will stick around season after season, which means they will know your lawn better than anyone. It's also becoming more difficult to find people interested in working in the landscaping industry. How can you blame them when the hourly wage range for a person with an AAS in horticultural sciences in Virginia pays $13 to $26 per hour, with a median of $17 per hour? (source) Wages at Uncle Onion's for individuals with degrees begins at twice the median and well above the upper range. Our laborers make, on average, what crew leads make at other companies. We don't exploit labor and we feel everyone should be able to live a comfortable life. We are active in our community. We donate time, material, and money to worthy charities and efforts around Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg, VA. All of our work is honestly and truly backed by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If you don't like the way your lawn was mowed, we'll come do it again. If you aren't seeing results from your organic lawn program in a timely manner, we'll treat it again and again. If we break something, we'll replace it or have it repaired by a qualified professional without giving you any trouble over it. We can confidently say you will be happy with the service we provide because our other clients are, and we try. Investment. Our equipment is much more expensive than gas-powered equipment and isn't available used. If you've ever purchased organic produce, you know it's more expensive. That's because the products approved for growing organic foods, which are the same products we use in your lawn, are more expensive (because organic is better!). We've also made a huge investment in our infrastructure to make communication with you, billing, and scheduling as convenient and as reliable as possible. We save costs where we can, such as we try to purchase used vehicles for our fleet. Even with used vehicles, we have strict requirements for the vehicles we purchase to ensure your service is not disrupted by breakdowns or that your driveway isn't stained by oil leaks from a rusty old truck. Our commitment to you is better service with fewer disruptions. To do this, we intentionally limit the number of jobs per day so we can concentrate on wowing you with our services. In an industry that is accustomed to producing high volume, low quality work, we practice low volume, high quality. This means we intentionally limit the number of jobs we schedule everyday. Not only does this allow our crews to treat you like a human, but it also allows us to absorb scheduling hiccups without much disruption to you. In short, it takes a lot of money to offer a reliable, trustworthy business! :)

YES! We are licensed and insured for every service we perform. This is important to you so that you are covered in case we make a mistake or if we get injured on your property. Did you know that you are responsible for injuries for unlicensed and uninsured people performing services on your property? Don't take the risk on cheap services! Make sure to hire a reputable company that takes care of you and their employees.

Although we use recognizable brands, such as Toro and EGO, all of our tools are commercial grade. Commercial electric lawn equipment is MUCH more powerful than any gas or electric tool you can get at retail stores. In fact, our lawn mowers, from push mowers to zero turn ride-ons, are MORE powerful than their commercial gas-powered equivalents. This benefits you by being up to 70% quieter than gas, and we emit no smelly fumes on your property. Less noticeable, but still important, electric mowers won't bog down the way gas engines do. Electric mowers maintain a steady RPM, even in thick grass, leaving your lawn with a clean, even cut that looks beautiful.

NOPE! Our larger mowers have enough battery capacity to last all day without needing to charge. Some of our mowers only need charging a few times a week! For our smaller tools, like string trimmers and blowers, our electric vans are set up to charge batteries throughout the day. For our trailer crews, we carry enough spare batteries that we wouldn't need to plug in at your house.

Where possible, we use products that are OMRI certified, meaning they are certified for use in organic farming. Where OMRI certified products aren't available, or financially feasible, we'll use FDA Certified Organic or a natural product. For instance, we use molasses to feed the microbes in your soil. It doesn't make sense to spend the extra money on organic molasses, so we use regular molasses since this is still a safe product.

YES! The process we use to control weeds in your lawn and flower beds is the same process organic farmers use. First, we try to provide a healthy habitat for desirable plants to out compete the weeds. Next, we pull weeds by hand. If that isn't working, we use OMRI certified sprays and other products that are either approved for use in organic farming, or the manufacturer declares them to be free of synthetic chemicals and safer for your family, pets, and the environment. There are cases where synthetics are the only method available to control certain weeds. Before we apply any synthetic chemical to your lawn, we'll discuss it with you first to get your permission.

As far as we know, the FDA is not offering an organic certification for lawn care providers or lawns. Write your representative! :)

OFTEN! As often as it needs, in fact. We replace our blades weekly, but oftentimes we sharpen them throughout the week, as needed. We guarantee your lawn will always be cut with sharp blades. This is why we charge more for mowing tall grass or for mowing areas that have not been mowed in a long time. For each of these types of situations, we have to replace the blades before we can cut the next lawn. That process can take HOURS out of our day, in some cases. So if you have an area of tall grass that you want us to cut next time we are out, you're going to have to pay $150 an hour for it with a $75 minimum. This covers the additional labor, wear and tear on the machine, and our time to sharpen and replace the blades.

The high grass surcharge is for mowing exceptionally tall grass or for mowing areas that have not been mowed in a long time. For each of these types of situations, we have to replace the blades before we can cut the next lawn. That process can take HOURS out of our day, in some cases. There is also a higher likelihood of us damaging our equipment when mowing tall grass. So if you have an area of tall grass that you want us to cut next time we are out, we'll have to charge $150 an hour, with a $75 minimum. This covers the additional labor, wear and tear on the machine, and our time to sharpen and replace the blades. PS. If we bend a spindle because we hit a rock that couldn't be seen in tall grass, for example, it is several thousand dollars to replace.

Our electric equipment can handle the same amount of rain that gas-powered equipment can. We choose not mow or perform other services in the rain or when the lawn is too wet in order to protect your lawn. We are a high quality service, not a high gross service that puts profits over your satisfaction. In the event that your service is delayed for any reason, you will receive a text and an email with an update. We usually reschedule for the next day.

We put you on a regular service schedule, meaning your service will fall on the same day of the week, every week. So, if your schedule day is Tuesday, we will come every Tuesday. To help you keep up, though, we'll send you a reminder email the day before your service. Additionally, the crew will send you a text when they are on the way and again when they have completed your service.

Generally, no, we cannot accept reschedules due to the grass not growing. This is because we limit the number of lawn services on our schedule every day so we can spend the time your lawn needs to make it look great. Moving your service to another day would interrupt that policy. We always recommend allowing us to make the call about whether the lawn needs mowing or not. There are some cases where it's best to not mow, but we'll almost always opt to mow the lawn. This is because it's much better to take a little off the grass than it is to wait a longer period and take much more off at one time. Please keep in mind that we have your lawn's best interest in mind, plus we are aiming to provide you with an outstanding experience. If we decide to mow, the lawn really did need mowing, even if it didn't appear to you that it did. We will not mow when the lawn is too wet or if the grass has gone dormant. If you are on a biweekly mowing schedule, we cannot reschedule your service for the following week. This is because that next week's schedule is full. So, please keep in mind that if you are on a biweekly mowing schedule and you want to skip a service, your lawn will not get another service for two more weeks.

Aaron is a proud veteran of the US Coast Guard. His first station was at Coast Guard Station Juneau, in Juneau, Alaska, where he served on a 47' Motor Lifeboat, performing search and rescue and law enforcement in one of the wildest, most pristine places on the planet. At only 22 years old, he was second in command on the motor lifeboat in Alaska, and the most qualified crew member on the 47 footer than any other person of his same rank. From there, he was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas where he helped the Gulf Coast stations from Brownsville Texas to Houston, Texas train on their new 47' Motor Lifeboats. He had a distinguished career and earned many citations (the good kind) for his efforts in saving lives and protecting the waters of our nation. Aaron loves telling sea stories and meeting other Coasties. We thank everyone that served this country and understand the dedication, commitment, and sacrifice that it takes.