Getting the Yard Ready for Winter

You could wait for spring, but why? Clean the yard up right now and save yourself from a multitude of jobs which will become more tedious next spring as they pile up over the winter.

The first major chore to tackle is raking the, hopefully, last bunch of leaves. Rake gently. Some tearing of the grass will occur but try to avoid excessive pulling.

If the last of the leaves aren't raked now, they will pack down and cause water to run off an area and prevent sunlight from reaching the lawn, causing the grass to suffocate, dry up, and die. Leaves can also keep the soil too wet and rot can set in.

Leaves can be used as mulch but tend to pack down and not allow proper air space, which is the insulating factor in mulch. Instead, add leaves to the compost pile.

Before mulching the garden beds, they should be edged to keep the landscape looking tidy and to stop the underground parts of grass; the rhizomes or tillers, from spreading into the beds and sprouting grass blades. Blades in the lawn are an asset but become weeds in the flowerbed.

There are two methods for bed edging. A machine called a lawn edger can be purchased at a garden center and can perform the job quickly and easily. However, a hand trowel or edging tools can perform and equally commendable job in smaller areas.

Where the grass meets the flowerbed, insert the tool blade down deep enough to sever the rhizomes about two and a half inches deep. Push the blade straight down and then again at an angle up and back through the bed, taking out a small wedge of soil. Aim for nice flowing lines or a very straight line. Do your best to avoid making ragged cuts.

Bed edging materials of heavy plastic or metal inserted in the soil to separate the beds from the lawn are not necessary but can be used.

Everything that is not covered by grass should be mulched. Mulch acts as an insulator to slow down freezing and thawing and helps water retention during dry winters. Select shredded or chunky materials, which create tiny air pockets - dead air being the actual insulator. Mulch to two inches deep with shredded bark, chunk bark, ground corncobs, or straw. A three cubic foot bag of mulch will spread over 18 square feet at two inches deep.

Roses should also be mulched but to a greater depth. Hill up roses to a depth of a minimum of one foot. 18 inches is even better. Because mulch is loose and bulky, it will settle over the winter.

The same kind of mulch used in other garden beds can be used on the roses. It should be piled up forming a pyramid up through the stems and covering the entire base of the plant. Do not prune roses now because it could stimulate undesirable growth just before the onset of winter.

The last step is to clean and oil the garden tools, drain and store the garden hose, drain the fuel mix from, and change the oil in, the lawn mower.

Take these few steps to tidy the lawn and garden and next spring's chores will be minimal.