What to Do the Week Before the First Hard Freeze

When the forecast shows the first night in the mid-20s, a lot of outside jobs go from "sometime" to "this week." Here's the list, in the order I'd do it.

The lawn

• Get the leaves off, or mulch them fine. A wet leaf mat over a frozen lawn is how snow mold starts. See wet leaves under the first snow.
• Mow if it's still growing. Keep at it until it stops, then take the last cut a bit shorter. See when to stop mowing for the season.
• Stay off frosted grass. Frozen blades snap when you walk on them, leaving footprints of brown grass.

Water

• Disconnect and drain hoses. A hose left on a faucet can freeze and split the faucet or the pipe inside the wall.
• Shut off and drain outdoor faucets that aren't frost-free.
• Irrigation system: blow it out now if you haven't. See blowing out your irrigation.
• Water evergreens and new trees deeply one last time if the fall has been dry. See water trees before the ground freezes.

The mower

• Run it dry or stabilize the fuel. See mower winter storage.
• Clean the deck. Wet grass caked under there rusts the deck all winter.
• Get the blade sharpened now, while the shop isn't busy.

Trees and shrubs

• Wrap young, thin-barked trees against sunscald and rodents. See wrapping young trees.
• Put up burlap where it helps (salt spray, winter wind). See burlap on evergreens.

The house edge

• Clean gutters once most leaves are down. Clogged gutters overflow and freeze into ice.
• Mark the edges of driveways and walks with stakes, so the plow or snowblower doesn't tear up the lawn.
• Buy the ice melt now, and pick one that's easier on grass and concrete. See ice melt that's safer for lawns.

The snowblower

Start it once now, not at 5 a.m. during the first storm. See the snowblower ready check.

What not to do

• Don't spread grass seed this week unless your soil is still warm (or you're dormant seeding later). See soil temperature decides your grass seed.
• Don't put down a heavy dose of fast-release nitrogen right before the freeze.

Every fall on the course, the week before the first hard freeze was a checklist week. Do it in an afternoon, and spring starts a lot easier.

Photo by Pitsch on Pixabay.