Oh, autumn. Finally the lawn no longer “explodes” so much that you have to tackle it every weekend. The list of gardening tasks is limited to sweeping leaves, pruning plants and some fertilizing. You might be tempted to gradually retreat into hibernation mode and weather out the cloudy days on the couch. Yes, you can do that - if you want to have trouble with your garden, buildings and/or utensils in the middle of winter or next spring. Because cutting mountains of leaves and branches is far from enough; upon closer inspection, full commitment is now required to ensure that “everything” survives the winter well. In the following lines you will read what you now need to motivate yourself for. And promised: Afterwards the winter rest really begins.
1. Check roof areas!
Actually, more precipitation falls in the summer half of the year than in the winter - actually. Because not onlyour winters have become significantly wetter, if water gets in somewhere, they are also significantly more dangerous for the house and yard due to frost expansion. Potholes, for example, are nothing more than road cracks caused by ice.
So grab a ladder or, alternatively, binoculars and check all roof surfaces for damage. Now the temperatures are still pleasant enough that any repairs can be carried out without any problems. Things look different with sleet showers and temperatures around 0°C.
Given the same opportunity, you should alsoClean all accessible guttersand free it from the moist mix of leaves, moss and “modder”. This has certainly collected in it and poses a danger to the gutter itself, at the latest when there is frost. However, this also applies to the entire house if the gutter overflows and thus wets the facade.
2. Firewood ready
The chimney sweep was already there? The oven has been cleaned and is waiting to be loaded? Wonderful. However, depending on where you store your wood, you should remember that it is quite unpleasant to have to drag the logs across the garden in winter weather - and it is also bad for the heating value if the wood is wet where it is stored becomes.
If you no longer need your (covered) terrace for anything else, you can lay out an old carpet there and stack a decent supply on it - then you can bring in firewood in your slippers through the terrace door. And if you own a stove with a large, integrated log storage, you should always ensure that it is 100% full, because the wood gets its optimal moisture value in the warm room air.
3. Grill free
Even the simplest metal grill should at least be covered with a tarpaulin or, ideally, stored in the garage for the winter - not to mention expensive gas appliances, which should definitely be kept under cover for the winter. But also a barbecue fireplace made of stonesnow requires a minimum of care.
First, the grill grates should be pre-cleaned with a wire brush (also works with a drill attachment) and then brought to a high shine in a rinsing water bath. Then store indoors. The fireplace grill itself must be rigorously cleaned of ash residue, which stores water and can cause damage. Then spray the gem with a high-pressure cleaner and let it dry. This is followed by a check for cracks in the firebricks. These must be sealed immediately with heat-resistant mortar, otherwise frost cracking can occur here too. If you then put a plastic tarpaulin over your fireplace grill, you can look forward to the grilling spring in a relaxed manner.
4. Sauzahn hepp!
For vegetable gardeners, November is the time to harvest the last cabbages and endives. But then the ground shouldn't be left fallow, because with a little effort you can do a lot of valuable preparatory work for the coming season:
Loosen upis important for soils of all types. The compacted layer must now be loosened using a digging fork or sow tooth. Only very heavy soils require digging with a spade or even a motor hoe - such attacks always cause chaos for the soil fauna, which is then turned upside down. However, if digging or milling is carried out, the weeds should also be worked under; they are a good fertilizer.
FertilizeYou should also do this if the soil is only loosened up. The easiest way is to incorporate manure or compost; if the soil is loose, this can be easily done with a garden rake or rake.
Coveris a job that only a few gardeners do: straw is generously applied to the loosened soil. The advantage is that any seeds (and also the soil creatures) are better protected from frost. However, the work is not compulsory.
5. Water march!
Once again, ice's habit of expanding creates work. Now all watering cans, rain barrels, water features - in short, everything that conducts or contains water must be carefully emptied. If you want, you can add your rainwater supplies to your beds using a watering can or pump - after all, a certain moisture reservoir is never a bad thing.
However, if the containers are empty, they should at least be turned with the opening facing down. However, it is better to put plastic elements in the basement straight away, because even if plastic is weatherproof, the material is not a fan of frost. On stationary rain barrels (such as IBC tanks), the taps should be left turned on so that all water flows directly through.
Next, lay out your garden hoses along their entire length. Then you lift one end over your head and walk towards the other end, “hanging” along the hose. This ensures that even the last bits of water drain out. The hose can then be rolled up and hidden under the roof.
The final water related work is to remove the stopcocks of all water pipes andof course also garden showersas well as turning off pumps that lead to the outside area, opening the taps outside and thus emptying the pipes.
6. Anti-Quietsch
Anyone who paid attention in school knows that there is capillary action in narrow gaps. It ensures that water from the surrounding air (or rainwater, depending on the location) can condense easily in locks, latches and other “constrictions”. Combined with frost, this results in blocked locks, stiff gates and, of course, rust in the long term.
To combat this, there is a two-step plan that requires spray cans from the hardware store:
1. The first step is to spray locks with WD-40. This agent displaces any water that may have penetrated. Then you wait an hour or two.
2. The next step is to apply spray grease (not spray oil!). Grease sticks much better than oil and is not washed off even by heavy winter rain.
In this way, you prepare all garden and yard gates, U-locks and everything else that is movable and made of metal, which cannot go into the house but must be fully operational in the winter.
7. More light
At the latest after switching to winter time, you will again become painfully aware of how early it gets dark in autumn. It is clear that you need light to go to the garage and garbage can. But first things first:
First, get a roll of kitchen paper and glass cleaner and use it to clean the windows (and any motion sensors) of all outdoor lights from all the dirt that has accumulated on them. Next is the functional test. Best when it's dark. Because then it becomes clear in practice whether the installed lamp is bright enough for the intended task (lamps that were installed in the summer often only show in winter that they are actually too dark).
The next look should be at the lamp itself. Because of the longer duration of darkness in winter, classic light bulbs fail - they use too much electricity.Energy-saving lamps are also not a good idea, the lower the outside temperature, the longer they need to develop their full luminosity. And especially with outdoor lights, you want them to be 100% bright straight away. The LED remains. Here you can go all out with conventional “bulbs” with an E27 socket and go into the power range of 20 watts. Outside, “the brighter the better”.
8. Seal up
Anyone who has now worked tiredly can breathe a sigh of relief, because the last step of the necessary work follows. However, one thing that you shouldn't let slide: Summer dust and cold are now ensuring that the rubber seals on external doors and windows are not only put under excessive strain, but are also no longer able to do their job optimally.
A bucket full of water with a little detergent, a soft cloth, that's all you need for the time being. This first removes dirt from the seals and then rubs them dry with some kitchen paper or an old towel.
Now you need rubber care spray (alternatively, a can of glycerin and a soft hair brush will work). This is used to coat the rubber seal thinly. This not only makes it more supple, but also ensures that it swells a little and thus seals any porous areas.
Then it's really all about it: So fire up the oven, light candles and snuggle up on the couch with the blanket. Winter is just around the corner and the best way to welcome it is from this station and with a good book in your hand or a series on the screen.
Conclusion
Even though for many people it's time to turn the oven off at the end of October, you shouldn't leave your home and garden completely unprotected for the winter. The work shown here can be completed within a day in dry weather. Once you've done this, you hardly have to fear winter anymore.
Image sources:
1) fotolia.com © svl861
2) fotolia.com © Tom Zander
4) fotolia.com © G. Wahl
6) fotolia.com © Cornelia Pithart
8) fotolia.com © Grigory Bruev
Images 3. 5. 7. 9. 10. pxhere.com CC0
