Fall Maintenance Checklist

For families living in Chagrin Falls, Pepper Pike , Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills, or Bentleyville, getting your yard ready for the winter can take a lot of time.  Consider this list of fall maintenance items that you can start to work on now to make your transition to colder weather that much easier.

 

 

• Collect firewood.  If you have fireplace or woodburner, now is the time to check to make sure you have an adequate supply of wood for the winter.  Rotate older wood closer to the front of the pile and put newly split wood toward the back to prevent rotting.  If you find you don’t have enough wood, place an order and have it delivered before the weather turns bad.

 

• Check your gutters.  Landscape architects say that cleaning your gutters now will help you to get the initial summer debris removed before the fall storms put more leaves into your gutters.  Gutter backup can lead to drainage issues and roof leaks in winter.

 

• Sign your plowing contract.  If you are interested in snow removal or snow plowing, then now is the time to make sure that you have collected your estimates and decided on a contractor.  You’ll be happy you have that taken care of if there are early winter snows.

 

• Seal your deck.  If you have a wood deck, now is the perfect time to use a sealant.  Simply brush or roll it on to protect your deck from damaging wet fall storms and snow pack.

 

• Complete your fall pruning.  Landscaping services recommend finishing your fall pruning at this time so that pruned areas have a chance to harden off before the colder temperatures hit.  Look carefully for dead branches and limbs that could fall during winter storms.

 

• Build a composter.  The fall is an ideal time to build a composter for your yard.  Once in place, you can add fall leaves as well as kitchen scraps and grass trimmings to make sure that you have an abundance of compost to use in the spring.

 

• Prep your vegetable garden for spring.  If you don’t do fall planting, then take the time now to till your garden.  By tilling it now, you’ll have eliminated one chore for the spring and prepared it for adding humus.  Pull large vegetable plants and add those to your compost pile.

 

• Winterize your pool.  Most pools in northern climates close around Labor Day.  If you have not made plans to close your pool, do so now.

 

While there is certainly a lot of outdoor work to do in the fall, it can be done easily with a little planning.  If you are feeling overwhelmed and aren’t sure where to start, contact Exscape Designs today.  We can help you to get you yard ready for cold weather in no time!