The dog days of summer have come to a close, and the hint of coolness in the evenings proves that Fall is almost here, with its shorter days, red and gold leaves, and breathtaking sunsets.
It’s also the perfect season for spending quality time in your backyard, with spiced drinks and homemade meals to make it that much more enjoyable. Before you can jump to that, however, you need to take care of a few tasks that will properly prepare your yard for the arrival of Autumn.
Make sure you’re covered
Exposure to cold winds is never pleasant, and that goes for your plants as well. Ensuring that your plants are protected throughout the season means taking extra precautions to ensure no harm comes to your harvest crops. Custom tarps can protect particularly vulnerable plants as well as tree saplings that need extra support.
Your backyard furniture requires protection as well. Custom tarps and chair covers should be on hand to keep your furniture safe from falling leaves, strong winds, and whatever else Mother Nature decides to throw your way.
Prepare your Pit
No experience can top sitting around a fire with your loved ones on a crisp fall evening enjoying a warm drink and your favorite snacks. Taking steps to make sure that your fire pit is prepared for the occasion is crucial. Make it a point to clean the ash and debris that may have collected over the past year. Remember to check all bolts and screws. Check to see if any fasteners and masonry needs replacing and coat both your grill and gates with a thin layer of oil for sheen and protection.
Transition your garden
A change of seasons means a change of gardens, as well. Fall is the perfect time to divide overly large plants and replant in new spots for taking root. More delicate potted herbs and smaller plants can be moved indoors. This is also the time to collect seeds, manage mulch, and add compost to your soil.
If you’re the proud owner of a vegetable patch, now is when you ought to plant pumpkins, beets, carrots, and other crops that will thrive in the coming months. Chrysanthemums and asters are also among the lovely flowers you can plant in Autumn.
Don’t forget to fertilize
Fall is an essential time to fertilize your yard. This practice gets your lawn in tip top shape before the chill sets in. Gardening experts recommend high proportions of nitrogen and potassium in your fertilizer for best results. This helps boost enhanced rooting, cold-hardiness, disease resistance, and tolerance. Vegetables may need more fertilizer, whereas other plant varieties such as flowers will require less. You can also add compost for even healthier soil.
Enrich and aerate the soil
You should also be implementing soil aeration in combination with fertilizer. This will improve the soil’s texture and overall health. Use a gardening fork to properly aerate your yard. By doing so, you can minimize the number of gardening tasks you have to deal with when spring comes to town. And aerating is easier to pull off in the fall, rather than in winter when the ground is hard, or in spring when it is soggy.
Look after backyard trees
It’s nothing short of crucial to check and maintain the health trees in your backyard during this time. Fewer leaves make it easier to check for damaged or broken branches that will need trimming. Once leaves begin to fall, give tree roots a thorough watering before the ground hardens and water can no longer permeate the surface.
Get rid of weeds
Beautiful as the season is, it can also come with some minor annoyances as far as your yard is concerned. Weeds are one of them. When removing the weeds that have popped up in your yard, make sure to eliminate them from the root, and not just shear off the top growth. If not, there’s a chance that they can grow back sooner than later. Dispose of them in special waste bags. Mulch can also keep weeds from sprouting, so be sure to add that to the mix.
Prepare your gardening gear
Make it a priority to clean and sharpen your gardening tools in preparation for fall. Clean off any dirt that may have gathered in the joints and use a specialized cleaning solution to wipe it down. Pruners and mowers should have their edges sharpened, and spraying equipment needs to be washed and tested. Containers and pots should be checked for cracks or other damage. It’s also important to check for any leaks in garden hose tubing – don’t wait till it freezes!
From grass to gutters, keep everything in order
Before Autumn arrives in full force, you should make sure that everything in the backyard is neat, tidy, and well-kept. Grass should be trimmed short, gutters should be cleared out, and dead plants and debris should be removed.
Store equipment in the shed for easy access. Furniture should be cleaned and cared for with the help of accessories like chair covers and their accompanying storage bags. Add touches of autumn décor such as personalized tarps with fall graphics, and your backyard will be cozy, homey, and a perfect place to welcome the season.
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