How to Prepare Your Backyard for Fall

With summer slowly ending and fall rapidly approaching, many forget that this is the best time to prepare their backyard for the next spring season. And while the backyard won’t need as much water during the fall due to rain, there are still some preparations needed if you want your lawn to be lush and healthy for the next spring season. Here are some tips which will help you prepare your backyard for coming fall.

Close the swimming pool and turn of the watering system

As the temperatures become lower and lower each day, it’s best to close down your pool until the next swimming season. This way, the pool will not fill up with leaves and rain and it will save you from the additional hassle of having to clean it from all the dirt once it’s time to use it again. Also, if you have any kind of watering system, it’s best to disassemble it in order to avoid any possible frost damage. Your soil will get plenty of water through rain so you won’t have to water your grass regularly.

Protect outdoor furniture

While it’s always nice to go outside in the backyard and sit in comfy a wicker chair, it’s best to put away all that nice furniture you’ve enjoyed during the summer. With fall comes wind, rain and sometimes even snow. So, in order to protect your outdoor furniture, it’s best to put it away until spring. If there is no place to store it, put away the seats and cushions but cover up the furniture to offer it at least some kind of cover from the elements.

Take care of your lawn

If the fall is dry, it’s best to keep watering the grass in order to keep it as green as possible. Also, continue to mow your lawn because this is what keeps it healthy. Drop the mower’s blades to its lowers setting for the last two cuttings of the season because the shorter the grass, the easier it is for the sun to penetrate its crown.

Sometimes, it seems impossible to get rid of weeds, if you apply herbicide now, weeds won’t return in the spring. Since this is the time when weeds show up the most, it’s the perfect time to get rid of them.

If there is the best season to fertilize the soil, it’s definitely fall. Seeing as grass leaves grow slower in the cooler weather but grass roots grow quicker, it’s best to fertilize it now because this will supply the grass with all the necessary nutrients. It also means the roots will grow deeper and will reserve the nutrients for a healthy start the next spring.

Rake the leaves

Raking leaves are probably the most boring and annoying work in the backyard during the fall, however, it’s very important to get it done. If you wait for all the leaves to fall down, and then if they get wet and soggy, they’ll create a thick mat which will suffocate your grass and help breed fungal diseases. It’s best to start raking immediately in order to prevent the leaves from getting wet. You don’t have to use the old-fashioned rake. Instead, use a vacuum for leaves, but again, make sure you remove the leaves before they become soggy.

Another thing that is best to do during the fall is to remove all the plants and trees you don’t want in your backyard anymore. It will be easier to remove them now before the soil freezes and this way you’ll have a fresh-looking lawn in the spring. It’s best to hire someone who specializes in tree removal in order to avoid any possible injuries but also in order to do the job properly.

Harvest the vegetables and herbs

If you’re lucky enough to have a vegetable and herb garden, now is the time to harvest everything that is left and put it away for the winter. You can dry all the herbs you have and put all the vegetables into preserve; who knows, maybe you’ll get a winter-long supply.

While it’s much nicer to just relax in the yard during hot summer days, it’s important to do all these chores in your yard in order help your yard stay healthy and beautiful. So, in order to avoid more trouble and work in spring, do the work now and come spring, the moment the temperatures start rising, you can again enjoy your personal little paradise.