Who doesn’t love gardening during spring and summer, when the sun is shining and the skies are clear? After all, the warmer seasons are the perfect time to get your fingers green and watch your garden grow… but with that being said, it’s important to prepare you garden for the colder months too!

Of course, you aren’t going to be seeing much colour once autumn and winter come around. Nonetheless, there are still some tasks you should make time for anyway if you want to make sure your garden is fit and ready to weather the cold. Let’s take a look!

One last trim

Mowing your lawn might be necessary for keeping your grass in line when the sun’s out, but you should also give it a good cut before the cold comes too. This will make sure your grass is nice and short before the sun goes away. Otherwise, if you leave your grass too long at the end of summer, it will be much more difficult to cut it over winter when the ground is wet or frozen – and you should never cut your lawn during wet weather anyway! So get your lawnmower out and give your grass one last hefty trim to keep it under control until next spring.

Don’t leave the leaves!

Yes, we know, falling leaves during autumn can really be beautiful. However, you don’t want to let them accumulate too much around your outdoor spaces! Otherwise, they will end up turning into mulch, which is not only far less lovely to look at but also slippery and hazardous to walk over. That’s why you should make sure you grab your rake and start sweeping up the leaves as soon as they start falling. It’s far easier to keep on top of autumn leaves if you don’t let them build up!

Tend to your tools

Your gardening tools see a lot of work over the warmer months, so it’s vital to make sure they’re tended to and properly stored once the sun goes away. That includes making sure they remain free of rust, sharpening them and storing them somewhere safe and dry where they won’t end up worse for wear due to cold and damp. Efficiently maintaining and storing your tools like this will also save you money, because it will prevent you from having to buy a whole new set by the time the gardening seasons roll around again!

Keep critters well fed

Your garden might start to lose a lot of its colour and vibrancy during autumn (and especially winter) but that doesn’t mean plenty of nature’s visitors won’t still be around. Keep any cute little visiting critters well fed and watered by keeping birdhouses and feeders hung up in your outdoor spaces. After all, food is harder to come by in the colder months, and doing this will ensure the survival of many birds, squirrels and more.

Sow some early seeds

Finally, if you’re an eager beaver and are already getting excited for what next year’s gardening might bring, it’s not too early to put things into motion! September and October are the perfect months to sow certain seeds that will sprout next spring. This includes daffodils, tulips and various other colourful flowers. Besides, you might even forget that you planted them by the time winter is over… and imagine what a lovely surprise it will be to see all those flowers sprouting as soon as the sun rears its head once more!

Now that you know everything you need to know about preparing your garden for the cold, why not make sure you have what you need to keep it well-lit during the darker months too? As the sun will soon start setting early, our 6 ways to light up your garden are sure to help you keep the outdoor spaces around your home well illuminated!

Tags: Garden Advice, Garden Care, Gardening Advice, Gardening Tips, Gardening Tools