With fall on your mind, you may be looking forward to preparing your gardens, lawns and outdoor areas for winter. Fall cleanup is not only a good idea because it helps tidy your spaces and get them ready for the cold-weather season, it also can help prepare your outdoor areas for spring, giving them a jumpstart and preparing them for success next summer.
Fall Gardening Care Made Easy
Gardening experts agree that now is the time to care for both your flower beds and your yard. Raking and collecting those leftover leaves, aerating your lawn and overseeding is part of this process. Until that first frost, you’ll still likely be caring for your lawn, too. At Miles Kimball, we’re always on the lookout for innovative lawn and gardening tools that will help making these sometimes-tedious chores more efficient. From leaf-gathering and composting to aerating, storage and choosing the right product to overseed, we’re highlighting some of our handy tools and products. We’ll also discuss some tips that will help your lawn, garden and outdoor spaces thrive by using some of these products, many of which are exclusive to the Miles Kimball brand!
Leaf-Gathering and Composting
Your outdoor lawn care arsenal probably contains some of the tried-and-true go-tos, such as rakes, shovels, hedge trimmers and other tools that are created to help you maintain and gather yard refuse, waste and fallen leaves. Although these tools work great, there are often alternative, must-have tools that will make yard work easier, such as our garden hands.
Our set of two Garden Hands™ and Gorilla Garden Hands are fantastic at those awkward tasks, such as gathering leaf piles and putting them in compost bags. They’re also great at gathering those fallen leaves, grass clippings and other organic matter to help create environmentally friendly composting areas in your yard. Another way to make those leaf-gathering chores easier is to find a handy product that will help you gather yard refuse in one spot, making cleanup a breeze. A durable leaf collecting bag with handles makes collecting and discarding leaves and other materials quick and easy.
Tool Organization and Outdoor Cleanup
If you’re looking to add tool organization and garage and outdoor structures tidying to your to-do list, we have a great selection of organizational products in our outdoor Storage and Maintenance category for your home, garage and shed. Don’t miss our corner garden tool organizer, which wisely utilizes those overlooked corners in your garage or shed and keeps all of your shovels, tools and rakes in one spot. Fall is also the time to keep your outdoor furniture protected from the elements. Not everyone has a covered structure in which to store their outdoor furniture and essentials like grills, lawn chairs, outdoor sofas and tractors. Be sure to check out our outdoor furniture covers for high-quality protective products that will protect your investments from rain, snow, UV rays and other inclement conditions.
The Easy Way to Aerate Your Lawn
Throughout the summer, grass clippings and other organic matter may create “thatch,” which is a layer of dead grass that can prevent moisture from reaching the roots of your lawn. A layer of thatch also can prevent nutrients from reaching the roots of the grass. Thinning grass and weeds also can cause soil compaction, which is another way that your lawn may not be getting the nutrients it needs to stay healthy. In the long run, both thatch and soil compaction can be detrimental to your yard’s health. The remedy to both of these issues is called “aeration.” This involves essentially poking holes in the thatch and the compacted soil, allowing the roots to gain access to nutrients, rain and oxygen. Aeration also reduces water runoff, improves air exchange and strengthens turfgrass roots.
Professionally aerating your yard can cost hundreds of dollars. However, clever lawn and gardening tools are available that allow you similar the benefits for a fraction of the price. Lawn aerator sandals are a fantastic way for you to strap on some special shoes and get that aerating done in your yard. Better yet, buy a couple of these clever lawn aerator sandals and have your kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews get some exercise and play (carefully, of course!) while they aerate your lawn for you.
Overseeding
Along with aeration, overseeding is one of those tasks that will help keep your lawn in top shape, getting it ready for winter and ultimately giving it a kickstart in the spring. Along with aeration, this is one fall task that can be pricey. A great option is to use a proven grass seed option yourself, again at a fraction of the price of a professional lawn care service.
Check out our Quicklawn® Grass Seed, available at Miles Kimball. This evergreen “Wonder Seed” can be spread quickly and easily over your yard with an inexpensive seed spreader (available at any hardware or retail store) and sprouts in as little as five days. This shade tolerant, insect-resistant and easy-grow grass seed is just what you need for those thinning areas to give them the boost they need. This product works in all kinds of soil — from clay to sandy.
Fall Cleanup, Organization and More
Fall cleanup, organization and winter prep doesn’t have to be a chore. Neither does spring cleanup and summer gardening! Miles Kimball has everything you need, no matter what time of year it is. Check back into Kimball Corner throughout each season of the year to find tips, tricks and highlighted products that will help you get your work done more efficiently. We would love to hear from you about any fall cleanup tricks or tip you may have. Leave a comment below and share your ideas about how you handle fall cleanup and/or which tools you can’t live without.