With the fall season comes another list of things to do for your fall yard cleanup. Here are some tips to consider to help keep your yard in the best shape.

Clean up the Leaves

Instead of bagging your leaves use them as natural fertilizer.  After raking the leaves into a small pile run over them with your Husqvarna or Walker lawn mower to chop the leaves. Use the broken leaves as mulch to spread around your plants or mix into your garden soil to decompose.  

Remove Annuals

Take time to clean up your garden beds and remove any annuals and vegetable plants. This helps you prepare for the next year. Depending on the plant you can either chop them and use them inside the dirt to prepare for next year or rip them out and throw them away for a less chance to produce a disease. 

Wildlife

It can be tempting to cut back all dried stems but these can be very valuable to the local wildlife. Birds are attracted to the seed heads and some pollinators can use the stems as a home for the time being. Instead of discarding the entire stem, remove all diseased growth. You can always come back to cut and remove dead stems next spring as the new growth begins. 

Weeds

Fall is a typical time that mature weeds have seeds. Take time to pull weeds from your garden and plant beds, discarding them outside your garden or compost pile.

New Plants

If you have the space you can get a head start on your plants for next year. Cut plants back and move them indoors. Some plants do better with this than others. Take the time to look into which types will thrive.

Cool Temperatures

All plants are sensitive to the weather changes, especially younger plants. Add mulch or your broken leaves around the base of your shrubs and trees to add insulation during the colder months. 

Burlap Blankets

If you are anticipating a big cold front coming through, wrap your younger plants in burlap to help them protect them during the cold weather.

Pruning

The best times to prune are in late winter or early spring. So take that off your fall yard cleanup to do list and focus on the other items.

Plan & Prepare

If you are looking to expand your plant beds or garden next year to prepare for different plants or fruits, think about how that will go and start working towards it now to save you some time in the future.

Soil Tested

Fall is a great time to take soil samples. A soil test will provide recommendations for additives that may be needed to promote optimal plant growth. This will help you to be on your way to gardening success next spring.

Get ready for the fall season with our power tools. Come visit us in store with any questions and a team member will be happy to help!