7 Essential Things to Do to Prep Your Yard for Winter

Now is the time to start thinking about your fall-to-do list. There is a definite change of temperature happening and it doesn’t matter where you live in the northern hemisphere, light and weather conditions are starting to shift. This means that you need to get your lawn and gardens ready for the next stage. Here are some of the items on my list that you may not have put on yours.

Although everyone thinks about planting bulbs in the fall, you have to be patient. You need to wait until the ground temperatures are a consistent 45F or 7C. Don’t be fooled by the air temperatures, soil is a great insulator and will stay warmer significantly longer into the season than the air around us. I usually wait until we have frost at least once on the ground to ensure that the new bulbs won’t start growing too soon.

Make sure to put the bag back on the lawnmower. There are a lot of weeds that spread seeds in the fall including dandelions. Those last few trims can easily spread those seeds throughout your lawn. Instead, keep the bag on the back of your mower right up to the second last cut. Remove it for the last cut of the year to help insulate the grass roots below.

Trim all of the grass around the bottom of your fruit trees. This is very important in ensuring that your trees stay healthy right into spring. Fruit trees like apples, pears, and plums are susceptible to fungal and parasitic infections that develop over winter in the long grass at the base of the trunks.

The leaves have to go for a few different reasons. While composted leaves are one of the best things you can add to a garden bed, clumps of leaves under your trees and on the lawn should be avoided. The heavy mats of leaves effectively choke off and smother grass below. Also, leaf mold forms on these leaves over the winter and is the first thing allergy sufferers have to deal with when the snow melts.

Wrap your evergreens. If you have planted an evergreen in the last three years, it needs to be wrapped to protect it from winter burn or desiccation. This happens when the green needles of the trees are exposed to increased sunlight in early spring. They begin to produce energy for the tree like little solar panels. Unfortunately, the roots are still frozen and unable to get water to the branches, causing them to dry out and turn brown. This often only occurs on trees that are new and not yet established in their space.

Stain the deck and repair any loose boards. Winter is one season that can really damage exposed wood surfaces. Adding some extra protection at this time of year will go a long way to extending the life of your deck and saving you a lot of money down the road. Consider using a penetrating stain which soaks into the wood, instead of sitting on the surface.

Give your trimmers a bath. Fall plant diseases like powdery mildew are notorious for getting onto your pruners and spreading from plant to plant around your garden…even in the winter! Make sure to clean your secateurs, loppers and pruners with either white vinegar or a mild bleach and water solution to disinfect them.

Fall is an amazing time of the year. Just make sure to set aside one weekend to get all of your outdoor chores completed. Trust me, it will make your spring that much better!