Spring and fall cleanups are essential for maintaining your garden each season. When winter arrives, it’s important to prepare the garden for rest, but come spring, it needs to be refreshed and rejuvenated.
Regular maintenance during these transitional seasons protects your carefully designed outdoor space and helps it endure over time. Your property is a source of pride, and giving it the attention it needs during these times is crucial for ensuring its longevity.
Fall Preparation
In the fall, the temperatures start to cool down, and the leaves turn to glorious rich golden browns and deep reds. They then fall from the branches and litter everywhere.
It’s a myth that the leaves will protect your garden space; they can, in fact, create issues that will take a toll under the snow and rear its ugly head in the spring.
To make your preparation for a fall cleanup easier, start from the top and work down.
1. Eavestrough clearing
The eavestrough around your roof is vital for directing water away from the walls, and dispersing it to other areas that will prevent soil erosion and property damage.
They do, however, love to catch everything that falls from the sky, including environmental debris, leaves, twigs, frisbees, tennis balls, etc. Thus, they become cluttered and stuffed, preventing them from working as they were intended. This can lead to issues with snow and ice blockages in the winter, and flooding in the spring.
2. Pruning and aeration
Pruning is the method used to trim branches on trees, shrubs, and flowers. Typically, this is done throughout the garden season, removing the dead branches and leaves to promote the healthy growth of new buds and stems. It should also be done in the fall to allow the plants to hibernate and prepare for a vibrant spring. Perennial plants benefit greatly from this action.
Another advantage of pruning is that it prevents the plants from being damaged in the winter. Heavy snow and ice can bend and break overhanging branches and then damage the main trunk of the plant.
Aerating the soil will help to break up any areas that have become compacted over the summer and allow vital oxygen and moisture to disperse evenly. This allows all the roots to breathe and consume nutrients evenly.
3. Clear the leaves on the ground
Of course, leaves fall from the trees every fall. They cover the plant beds, lawn, deck, and patio areas. Many years ago, it was thought that this was a good thing, and the best practice was to leave them where they fell.
However, in areas where the leaves cover grass and plant beds, this can lead to the soil below becoming starved of oxygen and moisture, causing the plants to rot and die during the cold winter months.
Raking and gathering all this debris can be hard work. Fortunately, for fall cleanups in Hamilton and Brantford, there are reputable companies dedicated to helping you with this laborious task.
4. Use a power washer
Patios and decks are an expense and investment that you have chosen for your dream space. So, making sure that they are still functional and don’t need repair before the arrival of snow and ice helps you to protect them.
A good wash with the power washer to remove debris and clean it will reveal any issues that should be addressed before the winter hits. Cracked wood needs to be sealed or replaced, and cracked or uneven stones or paving slabs should be replaced as well.
5. Composting
There are many different ways that you can start composting. Over the winter is a good way to dispose of all the leaf debris and cuttings from pruning that you have had to clear.
You may as well make good use of what the fall has given you, and you can use this natural debris in the spring to help feed and replenish your garden to help it grow better. Referred to as cold composting, the organic material will begin to break down, generating its own heat to keep the process going.
You can also add the soil from planters that you are no longer using, as well as kitchen scraps, to build up a good amount of compost for the new season.
6. Tool maintenance
Make sure to clean all your gardening tools before you put them to rest for the winter. Mud and dirt need to be cleaned off shovels and trowels. Also, grass cuttings should be removed from lawnmowers, and hose pipes drained and properly stored in the shed.
Leaving dirty tools out over the winter can lead to rust and dulling of blades, as well as damaging the tools themselves.
Spring Preparation
Once the snow and ice have gone, and temperatures are constantly above 10 ℃, then the spring cleanup can take place. If you do this any sooner, you can create issues and damage new growth.
7. Clear the plant beds again
Checking your plant beds helps to make sure that any debris that occurs during the winter after your fall cleanup is removed. You can lightly rake the soil to break up any final chunks and allow the soil to breathe. However, don’t fully aerate the plant beds, as this can disturb sprouting seedlings.
8. Add compost
Now, you can add that compost you have been cultivating all winter. Once the plant beds are cleared, a good layer of compost will help to replenish nutrients and give all the seedlings a good boost.
9. Sharpen those tools
Before you start to turn the soil, plant new seeds, or even break out the mower for the first lawn cutting of the season, you should make sure that your tools are sharp and haven’t dulled over the cold winter.
Using dull tools will damage the plants and soil, and will destroy your landscaping instead of helping it grow lush and healthy.
10. Don’t Skip the Mulch
Adding a fresh layer of mulch in the spring helps retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature as plants begin to grow. Organic options like shredded bark or compost also enrich the soil as they break down, promoting healthier plant growth. Spread a two-to-three-inch layer around garden beds and tree bases to protect roots and maintain a vibrant landscape throughout the season.
Contact the Experts for Fall and Spring Cleanup Services
JW Landscaping has been providing professional landscaping services to Toronto and the GTA for decades. With our knowledgeable staff who can carry out the hard task of clearing your garden and preparing it for the dreaded winter, your green spaces will be brighter and healthier in the new season.
For more information about our spring and fall cleanups in Hamilton and Brantford, you can call us at 905-512-6549 or contact us online to get your free quote and book your landscaping service today.
