As the long Calgary summer winds to an end, your property maintenance thoughts should begin to switch towards preparing for winter. Of course, you’ll have given yourself a good head start by doing all of your usual summer yard work. This includes staying on top of your lawn mowing, weeding all the flower beds throughout the season, and preparing a good thick compost to use to prepare your property for winter. If you haven’t been working on these projects throughout the warm weather, then it’s time to get in gear to help with your fall cleanup.
Why Fall Is The Cleanup Season
There are many reasons why you want to undertake a full cleanup of your yard in fall. Firstly, the weather is in that fine balance for Calgary when it’s not too hot during the day and not too cold at night, meaning that you have the maximum amount of hours to get the yard work done. Secondly, it’s the time of year when all your plants and shrubs are starting to shut up shop ahead of the snows and storms of winter, so it makes sense to take steps to help them with their hibernation. Finally, you’ll find it’s still warm enough for composting and biodegrading so you can create some organic fertilisation opportunities without worrying about too much heat and not enough water.
Fall Cleanup Checklist
As you’re surveying your yard at the start of fall, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of tasks you need to undertake before fall rolls round. This can be compounded if you’ve coming off summer vacation or you’ve got young kids starting their fall sports programming, and you’re wondering how to find the time. However, breaking your fall cleanup into smaller steps can make it feel manageable, and this checklist is a good place to get you started:
- Clear up summer debris – the biggest project facing you will be to pick up all the fallen leaves and branches that drop onto your property during summer and early fall. This natural debris can block essential sunshine and rainwater from reaching your soil as your plants look to harvest as much energy as possible in the fall. They can also attract rodents and other undesirable critters to your yard who are looking for housing materials or hidden food supplies, and the last thing you want is for your property to be the neighbourhood cafe all winter.
- Final lawncare touches – next up is to take care of your lawn one final time. This should include a light round of aeration to let the fall rains seep deep into the soil, a final mow to save the plants from having to produce seeds and flowers and instead invest their energy into root growth, and spreading some fertiliser across the whole yard to give your lawn a kick start when spring rolls around.
- Fall pruning – there will be many trees and shrubs in your yard who will have grown a significant amount during the summer, but who also benefit from a solid pruning in the fall. Generally, fruit bearing trees are better left until after the last frost in spring, while shrubs and leafy trees benefit from a solid pruning session during the middle of fall. This gives them time to heal the wounds from the pruning and tells the tree to conserve its energy for the winter.
- Garden bed preparation – with a solid summer weeding program in place, it shouldn’t take much time to get your garden beds ready for winter. You’ll need to pull any dead plants to avoid contamination and disease, as well as removing annuals to give the soil the opportunity to refresh itself. Consider adding a layer of homemade compost covered with some mulch to feed your soil over the winter months; the compost will slowly decompose and attract microbes, while the mulch will protect the soil from frost and help it to retain moisture and nutrients ready for the spring.
- Clear the gutters – your final project is one closer to home, and that is to get up on the big step ladder and clear the gutters of all the leaves and debris from summer. The main reason to do this is to make sure that any rainwater and snowmelt comes off your roof and into the ground without splashing over and causing an icy mess during winter. You can also add the decaying leaves to your compost pile to help feed your garden beds, and channel the rainwater to water particular beds so they stay hydrated during late fall and early spring.
Get Professional Help
If that checklist doesn’t help to reduce your fall cleanup anxiety, or you’re still worried about how you’ll fit it all in with your busy fall schedule, then it’s time to call Scoop Cut N Shovel. Our team of fall cleanup experts will take care of your problem for you, coming to your home and completing the above checklist and more while you’re at work or out enjoying the last of the good weather. These are generally done as a one off clean up session, and the price will vary on the size of your yard and the amount of time needed to get your property fully ready for winter. We can bag up the debris for you, or take it with us for a small extra fee, leaving you free to enjoy your pristine yard.
Bundle And Save
You can bundle our fall cleanup service with any of our other products to save money. A popular combination is to hire us to kick start your yard in spring, and then set up a regular summer check subscription to keep everything looking at its best. To get the best possible value, you should check out our complete year round property maintenance package which includes all yard work, as well as snow and ice clearing and even taking care of your pet waste for you. Talk about a full service!