Winter Preparation

Let's Do That Final Yard Preparation for Winter

As autumn sends us chillier days, it's time to think about giving the lawn a final cut and putting your yard to rest for the winter. Let's focus on clean-up and protecting your landscape for the colder days ahead.

The scope of your yard clean-up efforts will certainly be determined by the number of trees you (or your neighbors) have that can scatter leaves on your lawn.  Depending upon the weather in your area, you may want to gather and dispose of leaves more than once this fall.  Leaves left lying on your lawn can do damage.  This is particularly a problem when you have rainy days and the fallen leaves pack down on the grass. Wet leaves, like standing water, can suffocate grass within a few days.

Your next question may be what should you do with all of those leaves?  If your leaf cover isn't too heavy, you can mulch leaves directly back into your lawn with your lawn mower.  If you are an avid yard and garden enthusiast, you may want to finally start that compost pile you have thought about. To get started, click here to learn the basics of composting, which will create nutrient-rich soil to use in your vegetable or flower garden.

Continue mowing your lawn while it is actively growing.  For homeowners in the northern U.S., this will likely mean a final mowing some time in October or even early November, and certainly later for those who live in the South.  If you haven't completed your fall fertilization (for northern areas), now is the time to get it done.  For tips on fertilizing, check out our Feeding Your Lawn article.

October is also an excellent time to deep water trees before the ground freezes – especially young trees or those you have recently planted.  How much you water them will depend on how dry your summer and fall have been.  You may also want to wrap the trunks of young trees to protect them from winter sun damage and deter rabbits and deer from making a meal out of their tender bark.  You can purchase tree wrap at your local garden center.

Perennial planting beds can be mulched once the ground has frozen. The main role of fall mulching is to help maintain a more constant soil temperature to prevent repeated freezing and thawing, which can cause the soil to heave, potentially damaging plants.

Once all of these chores are done, it is time to put your feet up and start planning for next spring!

Read How to Store Your Tools for Winter for additional advice on how to prepare your yard and garden tools for winter.