Taking Care Of The Backyard During Winter
The backyard always seems to be the domain of spring and summer. When it’s warm outside, then that’s when we want to go out there and enjoy the natural world. During winter, things go more dormant, including people.
However, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t continue maintaining our backyards through winter. Here are some ways to keep it healthy and looking good all year round.
Lawn Maintenance
One thing that can suffer over the harsh winter is your lawn. This is especially true if it snows or gets particularly icy where you live, as the snow and ice deprive the grass of sunlight and can directly damage grass as they thaw and refreeze.
Keep the lawn clear of snow, large patches of ice, dead leaves, and other debris. This way, you can keep your lawn looking nice over winter and make life easier in the spring. A well-maintained lawn is attractive and practical, but a lawn left to harsh elements of winter doesn’t look great and takes a lot of work to recover.
Vegetable Gardening
Depending on climate and what you choose to grow, you may find yourself still growing vegetables over winter. Some particularly hardy crops thrive in cold weather, which allows you to continue to produce food.
However, many people either aren’t able to grow anything, or they choose not to. The winter can be a useful time to give the soil in your garden some rest. By adding mulch or growing a cover crop over winter, you enrich the soil so that it's ready for the spring. If you compost, then this is the perfect time of year to empty your compost bins and spread the contents over your plots.
Winter is also a good time to set up new plots, as long as the weather is kind enough. In colder climates, the soil might freeze, making digging far more difficult. But, on warmer or wetter winter days, it’s a good idea to prepare more plots for the next year and invest in your garden’s future.
Keep it Clear of Pests
In winter, humans aren’t the only ones who seek food and shelter. Pests also spend this time of year trying to find somewhere warm, ideally with a lot of food. Unfortunately, our homes and backyards are the perfect candidates.
If you have decking or sheds, then critters of all kinds may burrow underneath to look for shelter. This can damage structures, as well as give them a home that’s too close for comfort. Sometimes, insects and animals can even find their way into your home.
In order to deter pests, make sure that you don’t leave any food out where they can easily access it. Keep your compost bins secure and sealed. If you already have a pest infestation, then contact pest control companies to deal with the problem.
Once the backyard is free of pests, the pest control professionals can then give specific advice to prevent more infestations.
