Top backyard jobs to complete this winter

When winter rolls around, it’s time to make the most of the mild weather and prepare your backyard for colder spells. As homeowners and renters all over Australia carry out their backyard jobs this chilly season, we’ve put together some important tasks you can start working on right away.

6 backyard jobs to complete this winter

Pack away your outdoor furniture

Whether you’re anticipating heavy rainfall, blustery winds or a combination of the two, you need to pack away your outdoor furniture. While metal items are likely to experience rusting and discolouration, those that are timber may warp and weather over time outdoors.

Our recommendation is to store your outdoor furniture in a shed, undercover or in the garage for the winter months. Alternatively, you can cover it using weatherproof sheets that prevent rain damage. If any of your furniture is lightweight, make sure you tether it to the ground to prevent the wind from blowing it around your yard.

Prepare your patio for winter

If you haven’t paid much attention to your gutters so far this year, this should definitely be part of your winter patio preparations. Cleaning the gutters on your patio before the rain hits will help ensure no water damage or leaking occurs from overflowing gutters. The leaves and debris that gathers during the winter, summer and autumn soon turn to sludge when winter rain falls in. If you live in an area with particularly heavy rainfall, this could result in a build-up that cracks your gutters and causes damage to surrounding structures.

In addition to clearing your gutters at the start of winter, make sure you check for debris throughout. If you live in an area of Australia where snow falls or frosts are common, keeping your gutters clear is vital. As ice forms, it expands, which increases the risk of your gutters cracking.

Mulch to keep plants from freezing

Regardless of where you live in Australia, you should always mulch to keep your plants from freezing. If you have flower beds, cover them with leaves, straw or mulching wood.

Mulching is also a reliable way to protect flower beds from heavy rainfall. When the rain needs to work harder to permeate through to the ground below, there’s a reduced risk of your plants succumbing to the perils of winter.

Move your tools indoors

If you’re the type of gardener who loves to leave their tools strewn around the yard, now’s the time to move them indoors or under your patio. When you leave them outside to soak in the rain, they’ll rust or be damaged beyond repair before long.

Moving your tools under cover ensures you won’t have to replace them next year. It also helps them last for years to come, giving you the chance to enjoy them for longer.

Cut your lawn & trim your bushes

One of the perks of winter in Australia is that you don’t need to cut your grass as often. You can go a few weeks between mowing, instead of cutting every one to two weeks to keep your lawn looking good.

Less frequent lawn mowing sessions also means you need to give it one final trim before the winter rolls around. Make sure you choose the week where the weather is mild in your area, but on the cusp of becoming cold. While you’re at it, make sure you trim all the bushes. These jobs become tricky during the winter, which means you need to take care of them now.

Companion plant your herbs & vegetables

If you have herbs and vegetables, companion planting should become a big part of your outdoor winter preparation activities. This involves planting certain species together with the aim of keeping pests at bay. One example of this is planting garlic close to your roses. Doing this deters aphids, giving them the opportunity to thrive next year.

When it comes to preparing your backyard for winter, a little effort goes a long way. Providing you take a consistent approach, you’ll sail through to spring.