Work on it Wednesday: Prepare Your Yard For Winter

Sad to say, but fall is here. It is time to start preparing for cooler days and beautiful foliage. Living in New England means we get to watch our trees go from green to beautiful shades of yellows, reds and oranges. Keeping in mind as those leaves fall to the ground we are getting closer and closer to colder days ahead. It is time to get your yard ready for the fall and impending winter season.Wondering where to begin?

Start with your base—the grass. Overseeding the lawn in the fall with help to maintain the grass throughout the frigid winter months. Grass goes dormant in the winter season, overseeding during the fall months will result in a green lawn all winter. It is best to overseed 6-8 weeks prior to the first freeze. Predicting 6-8 weeks of weather may not be an easy task so if you notice bare spots it is ok to re-seed those areas.

Next step, once those beautiful leaves begin to fall- rake them up! When leaves begin to layer on the grass they can suffocate the grass underneath, especially when they are large and wet. Routine raking will help to maintain the grass.

Now that you’ve scooped up all the leaves, put them into a compost pile. The fallen leaves actually are a great source of nutrients for flowerbeds during the winter. Remove dead annuals and mulch perennials. Some perennials may look like they’ve died, but most of the time the root ball is stable enough to survive the winter. Covering this part with mulch will keep it warm for the winter and avoiding freezing.