Spring is here and your yard is a mess!!! You’ll need to clean up for spring planting and you don’t have much time on your hands. You can simplify your spring clean up needs so you have more time for planting and gardening.
First evaluate the damage the weather has done over the winter months. Is your clean up job one that requires days of clean up or just hours. Most of the time a very small yard will need at least eight to ten hours of spring clean up and preparation. On the other hand a larger yard may require a few eight-hour days to clean up the damage winter has done. Write down a list of the jobs that requires attention such as cleaning up old blown leaves, broken limbs or twigs, dead flowers, garden preparation, garbage clean up, pull out old dead weeds along with any other clean up jobs you may find.
Next make up a list of needed material that will make clean up go smoother such as a chainsaw and a sharpened blade sand, gloves, pruning tools, a rake, wheelbarrow or cart, shovels, a plow and any other needed materials that will make clean up easy.
After making a list collect the needed items that you’ll need to make clean up easy and convenient. After collecting the much needed tools situate them in an easy to reach place. Organizing tasks and tools ahead of time will save hours of time. If you’re trying to find tools and think of what project is next you’ll be using valuable time. Having a plan ahead of time will save time and aggravation.
On a list fill in jobs that need to be done and the order in which to do each. Keep in mind of each job that you intend on doing and the mess in which each might make. For example why would you rake the leaves in the yard first when the broken limbs needs to be sawed down and hauled away which will make another mess that will need to be raked up. Think ahead at such situations before starting. You will spend waste less hours of doing double the work if you don’t plan ahead.
Keep all dead leaves, weeds, grass clippings, and etc. for a compost pile. Use a compost to work in your garden in the spring and fall. Having your own compost pile will save time on disposal since all you have to do is throw all your dead leaves and grass clippings in a pile and nature will do the rest for you. In the fall just place the mixture in your garden and your garden will get the much-needed nutrients that it needs.
If you start with the biggest jobs first you’ll feel like your coming down the home stretch in no time at all. You’ll see results faster by tackling the biggest jobs first. If the weather was hard on your trees and branches, limbs and twigs are everywhere then start with big jobs such as this you’ll see the result of your hard work in just minutes.
Don’t forget jobs such as painting and water treating decks and other wooden surfaces. Jobs like these can be done early in the morning and while you’re waiting for it to dry start with the weed pulling or raking.
The key idea to doing your outdoor spring clean up is getting your jobs organized and having much needed tools and supplies on hand and read. Toward the end of the winter season you start to see what damage has been done so start the list then. Don’t wait until you start to clean up and realize that you need leaf bags or a rake. Taking time to run for these items will only waste your day away and adds hours to your clean up days.
So plan ahead, organize a list and have your tools on hand and you will get your outdoor spring clean up down before you know it.
Continued >> on the next page
