Yard maintenance might be one of your least favourite chores. But it has to be done if you want to enjoy your backyard, have a safe place for the kids to play, and keep your property looking its best. An overgrown or untidy yard can also be a health concern. Here are some basics of lawn care to help you keep your yard enjoyable, safe, and beautiful over time.
Schedule Yard Maintenance
Make a schedule for the year. Divide it into seasons. Once you know what has to be done season by season, yard maintenance might not seem so overwhelming. For example, it’s summer now so you won’t have to worry about planting bulbs or cleaning the gutters and siding just yet.
List seasonal lawn care, garden care, and general outdoor home maintenance chores by frequency: break them down into weekly tasks, chores to be done once every month, occasional tasks, and chores that need to be completed before the season ends.
When Your Garden is more Work than Play
Does it seem like you’re always in the backyard weeding the vegetable beds or in the front yard mowing the lawn and pruning trees? Spending more time weeding, mulching, planting, pruning, and watering than actually enjoying your garden might be a sign it’s time to simplify your landscaping goals.
Focus on specific areas of your yard. While beautiful and inspiring, a formal garden is often very time-consuming. Identify high-maintenance plants: replace them with native grasses and plants that require less upkeep. This could also be an opportunity to incorporate more eco-friendly gardening practices.
If your garden includes annuals, replace them with perennials to reduce the amount of time you’ll spend planting.
Planting more trees on your property increases the shade factor, which is good for shade plants and humans and pets who want to enjoy the outdoors but keep out of the sun. If the thought of adding trees makes you think of having to clean the gutters even more in the fall, choose coniferous trees that remain green all year round.
Everything in its Place
A sturdy garden shed or all-purpose shed is an essential addition to yard maintenance. It can be frustrating if you have to run around locating the tools you need for garden care – no wonder you’re run off your feet before you even begin.
If you don’t have a storage shed in your backyard already, decide what type of shed would be best for you and your yard. Will the shed provide storage for just tools and a workbench, or do you want enough space for the lawn mower and other pieces of lawn care equipment?
Consider all the tools you’ll need – before purchasing check to see if you’ve already got them and if you do, should they be kept or replaced? If you have a lot of tools to keep track of, make sure you create enough storage using organizers such as racks for long-handled tools, pegboards, and storage bins of different sizes.
