When the Temperatures Rise, Do These Things for Your Yard
As the number on the thermometer begins to rise, so does the need to begin preparations for your property and the warmer weather on the horizon. Instead of letting these essential tasks loom large, causing you to go into procrastination mode, or worse, forgetting to take care of them, make a plan to be proactive and check off a few things on your list. You can avoid feeling overwhelmed and take care of your responsibilities so you can enjoy the nice weather.
Prepare Your Pool
If you are lucky enough to have a backyard pool, then you already know that the work involved in caring for it is well worth the effort. Getting to cool off and enjoy yourself in the comfort and privacy of your own space is the dream. However, sometimes you are just too busy to take care of preparing your pool for the upcoming season. When you find yourself with little time and a lot to do, all is not lost. What you need to do is contact the professionals and schedule a pool opening service. It really is that easy. Once they are done getting everything ready, all you need to do is dive in.
Clean Up the Yard
After a long winter, there tends to be some built-up dirt, debris, and maybe even some litter in your yard. It may not even be completely visible. Instead, as you walk around your property, you will notice an errant piece of your neighbor’s mail stuck under a bush at the side of your house. Leaves that did not get raked up will have accumulated around those same bushes and near your home’s foundation. Put on your gardening gloves, grab a rake and a bucket or wheelbarrow, and get to work. Rake up dead leaves, fallen twigs, and anything else you find. Be sure to separate the garbage from the organic material before putting it in your compost pile or bringing it to the local recycling center.
Aerate, Reeseed, and Fertilize the Lawn
As you are cleaning up the yard, you will likely see some bare patches where grass should be or some brown and dead grass. Instead of hiring a professional, you can take a DIY approach to repairing your lawn. Unfortunately, this is a task you may have to do annually, so it is a good idea to learn how. However, you can always hire a professional landscaper to quickly handle it for you, if you would like. All you need to do is aerate, reseed, and fertilize the lawn to ensure a lush, beautiful, and green lawn.
Watch this helpful video to learn how to do it all on your own.
Plant Your Garden and Flowers
Once you have your pool and lawn care needs in order, it is time to move on to the garden and flower beds. If you have not already planned your garden and decided on which flowers to plant this season, now is the time to get started. Think about the types of produce you enjoy eating and the herbs you like to cook with. Avoid planting something because you think you should or because it is trendy. Instead, plant what you and your family will actually happily consume. Also, note how much you plant so that you are not left with too much produce. However, friends, family, and local food banks will likely accept your overabundance. As for the flowers, once again, follow your preferences. If you would like specific flowers that grow well in your zone, plant them! Consider sowing a few extra seeds to create a cutting garden so you can look at the beautiful blooms inside the house or outside in the fresh air.
Service the Sprinklers
Having in-ground sprinklers can seem like a gift, especially if you have ever spent time running in and out of the house to move the sprinklers over the span of several afternoons and evenings every summer, not to mention the fact that you inevitably get wet every single time. Even though in-ground sprinklers are basically a set-it-and-forget-it time-saving resource, you still need to service them twice per year. Starting in the fall, well before the first hard freeze, you should schedule a winterization service for the professionals to blow all of the water out of the sprinkler tubing and components. This helps prevent any water from remaining inside and freezing, which will cause the tubing to expand and result in cracks. These cracks will inevitably cause leaks when the sprinklers are turned on in the spring. The next servicing appointment should be scheduled in the spring, once the temperatures begin to move away from freezing. Your irrigation experts will turn on the sprinkler system and test each zone while watching for signs of problems, such as leaks. They can usually make any repairs on the spot.
Clean Off the Grill
What better way to kick off your summer pursuits is there than to invite your favorite people over and cook something delicious on the grill? To start, if you do not have a grill setup in your backyard, it is time to take action. If you do have a grill, now is the time for you to remove the protective tarp, open the lid, and see what is under there. Most grills will benefit from a good clean-up session after being under wraps for the winter. If you cleaned everything up in the fall, you should be ahead of the game. If you neglected that important task, you will have more work ahead of you. Regardless, pull out your cleaning equipment, grill gear, and get started. It will not take you that long at all, and once you are finished, you will be ready to begin grilling.
Now that you have a clear guide of what to do to take care of your yard and property, what are you waiting for? Let the lure of good vibes and warmer weather wash over you as you watch someone else clean your pool, get out the rake and take care of the yard, and begin to plant your garden. You will be so glad you started your to-do list early so you can enjoy your backyard oasis.