If you’re thinking about putting your house on the market next spring, get busy on these top fall clean-up tasks to do now. Preparing your landscape for cold weather will result in a better-looking yard next spring.

Remove Debris and Fertilize

Clear out flower and vegetable garden beds. Leaving debris over the winter can harbor insects and fungal matter that will damage your plants in the spring. Fall is the time to incorporate compost into your vegetable gardens for a good harvest next year. Add a layer of organic mulch to protect plants over the winter.

Aerate and Feed the Lawn

Use a pitchfork or strap-on aerating shoe platforms (these have spikes on the bottom and just walking around your yard with them on opens the soil enough to let nutrients and oxygen in) to aerate your lawn. Spread fall lawn fertilizer and overseed with cool-season grass seed.

Once your new seed is established, give the lawn a close mowing just prior to frost. This will give the lawn a good chance to grow vigorously when the snow melts in the spring,

Trim Shrubs

Cut out dead branches and trim overgrown branches you can reach without getting on a ladder. If you have taller trees that need attention, it’s not a good idea to prune them yourself. Fall is the time to clear hazardous dead branches that could fall during winter storms, but leave the aesthetic pruning of healthy branches for the spring, when trees have had a chance to recover.

Plant Bulbs and New Trees

Fall is the time to replenish the look of your flower gardens with spring-blooming bulbs like daffodils and tulips. You can add some fall annuals for prolonged color. Fall is also a good time to plant new trees and shrubs, which allows them to develop good root structures before going dormant. The established roots will provide nutrients and energy for spring production of flowers and leaves.

Clean the Gutters

Obstructed gutters can cause winter ice damming in cold climates. When all the leaves have fallen, clear the gutters of debris so winter snow and ice that melts on your roof won’t back up under your roof shingles and create leaks.

Detach Hoses and Clean Tools

If there is any danger of subfreezing temperatures where you live, detach all outside water hoses and turn off the water supply to exterior faucets. Burst pipes cause water damage and require immediate and sometimes costly repairs, not just to the plumbing but to drywall and floors. Avoiding that problem gives you one less thing to spruce up before putting your house on the market in the spring.

Your final fall clean-up tasks are cleaning and storing your tools properly so they’ll be dry and ready to beautify your landscape when the weather warms up again.