A vacuum pickup attachment for a riding lawn mower and method of using the attachment includes the vacuum pickup attachment being removably attached to the riding lawn mower for receiving lawn refuse. The vacuum pickup attachment has a first position where a mouth of the vacuum pickup attachment is disposed at a first elevated location that is out of the way of the free flow of material that is moving through an exit portal of a cutter deck away from rotating blades disposed under the cutter deck of the riding lawn mower. The vacuum pickup attachment has a second position where the mouth of the vacuum pickup attachment is disposed at a second elevated location that is in the path of the stream of material that is being ejected through the exit portal by the rotating blades disposed under the cutter deck.
