So, here we are, headed toward pumpkin spice and everything nice!  The Kansas State Fair has come and gone (for those of you who cannot get enough fried food or food on a stick), football season is upon us, kids are back in school, and the holidays are right around the corner.  As much as some of us love summer, it can bring a lot of work with landscaping, gardens, and pots of flowers that need to be kept alive.  It can be downright exhausting and by the time mid-August rolls around, some of us just can’t wait for the hint of crispness in the air and the dropping temperatures.  We anticipate it, dream about it, and sometimes even get a little grouchy when we are teased with cooler temperatures and then it gets hot again (as is often the case here in Kansas).

As we are trading in poolside fun for cool nights by the fire pit, I tend to be one who wants to stuff all of the lawn mowers, weed eaters, garden tools, etc., into the storage shed, lock the door and immerse myself in all that is fall.  I remove the annual flowers and plants from my flower beds and flower pots,  put all my pots away for next year, and set out bright mums and pumpkins in some type of fall display in front of my house.  Boom! Done!

But wait!  There is this little thing called fall yard work and maintenance.  Thankfully, my husband has a good handle on all that fall yard work that needs to be done, before everything can be neatly put away for the winter.  He reminds me that there is still work to be done– preparing the lawn for the winter and next spring, doing necessary pruning, keeping the drifts of leaves picked up from the neighbor’s giant Sycamore trees. We still have a lot of work left!  Even though I may want to be done and just jump into the next season, I know that if we follow through with the necessary fall work, it will greatly benefit us in the spring.

I found a great resource here for fall yard maintenance at Consumers Reports.  Please check it out! Also, for more specific plant and yard information in your area, you might check with your local garden center, tree nursery or extension office for more tips.

Happy fall y’all!

Diane Crabtree

Home Repair Coordinator