Harsh winter weather can be hard on our lawns, especially if you live in an area with brutal cold and heavy snowfall. To help ensure your yard looks shiny and new come spring, it’s important to take these crucial steps during the fall.

Keep grass cropped
Long patches of grass will inevitably get weighed down by wet leaves, and, eventually, snow. This makes it difficult for it to grow once the weather turns warm again. Continue to trim the grass as long as you can, but to about ½-inch in length.

Introduce air into the soil
Before the ground gets too hard to dig into, it’s a good idea to aerate the ground, and lightly fertilize to keep grass healthy. You can purchase an aerator and fertilizer at any hardware store.

Bring furniture indoors
If you have space in a garage or basement for it, bring in any patio furniture, grills, outdoor rugs, etc. so that they are not damaged during the winter months. Not sure of where to store them? You could also invest in plastic protective covers.

Get rid of the leaves.
The fall foliage might be pretty to look at, but it can do a number on grass, especially later in the season when leaves become a heavy, wet blanket. Whether you choose to rake them up or push them into piles with a leaf blower, just make sure to get the job done before winter.