Fall Lawn and Garden Cleanup Tips

Your Guide To Seasonal Yard Maintenance

Fall is here! When you were a kid, fall meant jumping in huge piles of leaves, but now it also means raking, weeding and getting your yard ready for winter. Cleaning up your yard for fall is a big job and you have football to watch and pumpkin patches to explore, so we’ve put together a checklist and ‘to-do’ video series to help make your fall yard maintenance a breeze. Maybe you’ll even have time left over for a jump in the leaves for old times’ sake!

Video: Tips for Beautiful Fall Lawn

Take advantage of the cooler fall weather and get your chores done all at once. Raking, mulching and more, we have the tips you need to keep your yard tidy in the new season.

Video: Fall Lawn and Garden To-Dos

From trimming shrubs to tilling your garden, there should be a lot more on your fall checklist than just raking leaves! Check out our to-dos to get your yard prepped for the season.

Fall Leaf Cleanup

Not motivated to rake? We get it, but make sure those leaves don’t smother your lawn. Let your lawn mower do the work for you. Find a machine with a side discharge and mow in stripes so that after several passes the leaves will be chopped into dime-sized pieces. These small pieces can be left on the lawn, adding nutrients just like a fertilizer.

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A blower with vacuum and mulch functions can also cut down on cleanup time.

Lawn And Garden Prep

Aside from leaf cleanup, fall is the prime time to use aerators and tillers. Aerating your lawn in the fall allows water and nutrients to get to the roots, setting you up for a lush, green yard in the spring.

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Till your garden in the fall to prepare for cool weather crops like kale and broccoli.

Watering—Don’t Forget The Basics

The heat may be letting up, but your lawn, shrubs and trees still need at least an inch of water a week, and you’ll want to keep cutting that grass until the first hard frost. From sprinklers to hoses, nozzles and reels, we have all the watering equipment you need to keep your yard in top condition.

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Shorter grass gives falling leaves less to latch on to. Many lawn mowers have several height adjustments, so you can cut your grass to the perfect length.

It’s Time For A Trim

Lifeless or overgrown branches are bad news when it comes to winter snow and winds. A chainsaw can come in handy to cut back trees and a hedge trimmer or pruner is perfect for shrubs.

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Make sure your gardening tools are in tip-top shape for the job ahead. Gardening tools like shovels, pruners, shears and hedge clippers should be sharp and rust-free.

Plant This Fall—Enjoy Next Spring

Ever wonder what to plant in the fall? Now is the time to think ahead to spring. If you’d like to add new shrubs or spring bulbs, fall is the perfect time to get them in the ground. Just don’t forget the gardening gloves!

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Other plants may be about to go to sleep for the winter, but you can still add some color to your garden by planting fall annuals like pansies and garden mums.