Before the leaves begin to fall or temperatures drop, it is important to prepare your landscape for the new season. Fall is quickly approaching, which means it’s time to start preparing your landscape for the new season. A little preparation now can go a long way toward keeping your yard healthy, tidy, and ready for spring.

Here's how to prepare your landscape for fall and set your yard up for a healthier, easier-to-maintain season ahead.

Assess Your Yard

Before tackling any outdoor projects, it is important to walk around and assess your yard. For example, look for areas that are overgrown/weedy, bare, with thinning patches of grass, mulch or gravel washed away, or any other areas you think could use a refresh.

This can also be a time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. This can help you determine what needs to be done again, changed, or held off until Spring.

Maintaining Your Lawn for Cooler Temperatures

Your lawn may have taken a beating from summer heat, foot traffic, and dry conditions. Cooler fall temperatures provide an opportunity to help it recover.

If your grass looks thin or patchy, you may need to overseed or repair the bare areas depending on your grass type and local climate. It is important to consider aerating compacted areas as well. Core aeration creates small openings in the soil, allowing water, air, and nutrients to reach the grass roots more effectively.

One of the most important factors in maintaining your lawn is to continue mowing while it is actively growing. Although the temperatures are beginning to drop, you need to keep an eye on growth and adjust to the recommended height for your grass type.

Lastly, get ahead of weeds before they have a chance to take over. Take a walk through your yard and check landscape borders and garden beds for any young weeds. They’re generally easier to remove before they become established. Once you've cleared an area, mulch can help suppress new weed growth by blocking sunlight from reaching weed seeds.

Refreshing Garden Beds 

Whether you have raised garden beds or garden beds along your home, Fall is the best time for a simple yet effective refresh. To begin, remove spent annuals, non-producing crops, and pull weeds. While doing so, if you notice that your mulch has thinned out, shifted, or washed away during the summer, consider giving it a refresh. Mulch helps conserve moisture, moderate soil temperatures, suppress weeds, and reduce erosion. For many landscape beds, a few inches is appropriate, although the ideal depth depends on the material and plants in the area.

Preparing your landscape for fall isn't about making your yard perfect before winter. It's about taking care of the areas that need attention now so you have less to deal with when spring arrives.

A little lawn maintenance, some weed control, a fresh layer of mulch, and a few thoughtful landscape updates can make a big difference.

So grab your gloves, take a walk around your yard, and start where you see the biggest opportunity.