Winter Prep Tips for Your Outdoor Living Space

Summer always comes and goes far too quickly, but you know what season seems to fly by even faster? Autumn! One day you are enjoying a cool evening on the patio and the next there is a frost advisory or unexpected flurries. Getting your outdoor space ready for winter is a big project, but you shouldn’t have to do it alone. This can be a fun Saturday afternoon project with the entire family. Even little ones can help put leaves in bags, so they feel like they are contributing.

 

• Feed Your Lawn – If you haven’t fed your lawn yet, this is the time to do it. With the exception of southern states, a fertilizer high in nitrogen is generally recommended in late September, and then around Thanksgiving feed with one high in phosphorus.

 

• Plant a Few More Veggies – Just because Old Man Winter is on his way does not mean you have to be done with your garden quite yet. There are plenty of fall veggies you can still plant, such as lettuce, spinach, broccoli, carrots, and Swiss chard. Hopefully you planned ahead and already planted pumpkins.

 

• Empty Water Fountains – All outdoor fountains need to be emptied and cleaned one last time. Do this on a sunny day to make sure every drop of water gets dried before covering. It is important that the covers are weatherproof and fit properly. You can find a great selection of outdoor covers for fountains, furniture, grills, and anything else you need protected at stores like SoothingCompany.com.

 

• Transplant – If you have been talking about transplanting some annuals or shrubs, now is a good time. The only thing you want to avoid is doing too much pruning. Pruning encourages growth. You don’t want plants being encouraged to grow when they are about to go dormant.

 

• Snow Fencing – Remember all those drifts you had last year at the end of the driveway and by the backdoor? Install a little snow fencing and you won’t have to deal with them again. You just need a few t-posts, a roll of orange snow fencing, and some heavy duty zip ties to secure the fencing to the posts.

 

• Raking – If you have a lot of trees, this may be something you have to do weekly for about a month. If you live in a rural area, consider just leaving the leaves on the ground. As long as they are spread out, they provide a nice layer of mulch. Compacted areas should be raked loosely, so the grass doesn’t suffocate underneath.