Easy Yard Clean-Up Tips for Fall
Autumn is a beautiful time to work outdoors, but there can be lots to do. Get easy yard clean-up tips for fall that will keep your yard looking sharp in this Lowe’s video:
No matter what size yard you have, taking some time in the fall to get it looking great will make your plants healthier, your lawn neater, and your spring planting easier.
If your home gets a lot of leaves on the ground, use a large tarp to make leaf removal easier. Use a leaf blower or rake to push the leaves onto the tarp. Thread a carabiner through the tarp grommets to create a huge leaf bag; this way, you can easily drag the leaves where you want them.
Leaves can also block gutters and clog drain pipes. A gutter attachment for your hose or pressure washer is great for rinsing the gutters after clearing them out.
If you have a lot to do around the yard, you can make life easier with the right tools. Fill a standard tool belt with your yard tools, and you’ll have everything in easy reach.
A 5-gallon bucket works great when weeding. Just collect weeds inside for easy disposal, then use it to store your yard tool belt when you’re finished.
Flower beds can fill with leaves during the fall, so it’s important to clear them out to keep them looking nice and free of pests. Leaves can be stored in bags until spring when you can use them as mulch to control weeds in your garden. If you live in an area with low winter temperatures, you can shred the leaves you removed to insulate the bases of your plants against the winter cold. You can shred large amounts of leaves with a lawn mower or place smaller amounts in a garbage can and use a trimmer to quickly shred them.
If you have dead out-of-control branches, fall is a good time to prune or trim them, but pruning green branches in the fall may not leave the plants enough time to heal before the cold sets in. Now is also a good time to get rid of any dead or dying flowers and plants.
You can invest a little extra time and bury some nesting pot planters in your flower beds to quickly change out your annuals each season. Just dig out a hole the size of the pot you will use, place your holder pot into the ground, and fill around the edges with dirt. Place the plant, still in its pot, into the buried container. This will ensure the soil won’t collapse back into the hole when you switch out plants with the seasons, and you can also easily remove flowers before you spray any weed killers.
Once the leaves have all fallen, you may notice stains on your concrete. The fall can be a good time to pressure wash your sidewalk or concrete driveway. For a large area, a surface cleaner attachment can make short work of a big job.
Before the weather turns cold, it’s a good idea to give your yard one last mow. Bag the clippings or use a mulching blade to return the grass to the soil as compost. A trimmer or edger helps create clean lines around the boundaries of your grass which will help keep everything looking neat throughout the winter months.
