Fall and Winter Yard Checklist | |
Getting a back yard ready for a winter rest requires a variety of jobs. Basically it involves cleaning up the lawn and garden and building up the soil so it is fertile for planting next season. Begin your clean up by dealing with fallen leaves. Run your lawn mower over them and then add them to your compost bin or use them as mulch around trees and shrubbery. If you're inundated with leaves and have too many to handle find out if your local recycling center has a pick up day. Leaves collected in plastic bags crowd landfill areas so finding a way to recycle them is good for everyone. Rake up pine cone needles separately to use as mulch in beds. And collect pine cones, gum balls or any other droppings from Mother Nature. You can use them in decorating projects or give them away to craft people who consider them a bounty. Remove any wilted and spent plants in the garden because they don't break down and decompose easily. Pull out annuals and trim back dead leaves and stems from perennials. Take out plant supports and stakes so the garden can be hand raked to remove debris and leaves. A small hand held cultivator works well to rake within the confines of flower beds. And while you're at it, pull out any weeds that you find. Take a walk around the foundation plantings to see where some tidying up is needed. Often you'll find scattered papers and leaves tangled in the underbrush. When all the soil is raked free use mulch to cover the base of the shrubs. It's a good time to give a light pruning to trees which have shed their leaves because you have a good look at the shape of the branches. Now's the time to remove misdirected and dead branches. It's also a good time to prune other trees and shrubs and reposition any edging material like brick or timbers that might have gotten moved or mislaid. Building up the soil Making a soil rich with nutrients is like making a good soup. It takes lots of ingredients and plenty of time to stew. In the fall it's the ideal time to add slow-releasing organic fertilizers so all winter long the soil is enriched and improved. Add peat moss to improve the nitrogen level and amend the soil with composting materials and work it all together. If the area is small use a hand cultivator to mix the fertilizer and compost into the soil. For larger areas lightly rake the soil and crush up the lumps. Then add amendments and use a rake or fork to mix them all together with the soil. When all the clean up work is done and the soil is bursting with fertility it's time to plant early flowering bulbs to welcome in the new season. Attracting birds Don't forget to fill a bird feeder for hungry feathered visitors who frequent your yard during the winter months. Set out a source of water for them, too. Attracting birds in your yard is a good idea because they thrive on insect and aphid eggs, caterpillars, grubs and beetles, just to mention a few of gardener's enemies. Winter watch If you have a heavy snowfall that settles on evergreens and shrubs shake off the snow before it becomes encrusted and too heavy for the plant to support. Use a broom to gently sweep off the snow or shake the branches to dislodge the snow. written by Gene and Katie Hamilton Copyright HouseNet, Inc. |