Aeration, overseeding, fall fertilization, and the last mow of the year — we cover all of that in our fall lawn care checklist. This list is everything else. The pipes, furniture, and outdoor fixtures that don't care whether your grass is ready for winter, but will absolutely crack, freeze, or blow away if you forget them. None of it takes long, and almost all of it is a lot cheaper to do in October than to fix in March.
Irrigation System Blowout
If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, this is the single most important item on this list. Water left in the lines freezes, expands, and cracks pipes, valves, and the backflow preventer. See our full sprinkler winterization guide for timing and what the process involves.
Hose Bibs & Exterior Faucets
Disconnect and drain every garden hose, then shut off the interior valve for outdoor faucets if your home has one, and open the exterior spigot to let any remaining water drain and freeze harmlessly. A hose left attached over winter is one of the most common causes of a burst outdoor faucet.
Gutters & Downspouts
Clear leaves and debris once the trees are mostly bare so melting snow and ice actually drains away from the foundation instead of backing up and forming ice dams. Make sure downspout extensions are pointed away from walkways that will refreeze into ice.
Mark Driveway & Walkway Edges
Reflective stakes along the edge of the driveway and any walkways help a plow, snowblower, or snow removal crew see exactly where pavement ends once the ground is buried. Cheap insurance against a scraped lawn edge — see our snow removal 101 guide for more on this.
Outdoor Furniture & Delicate Plants
Store or cover patio furniture, and move potted plants that can't survive a hard freeze indoors or into an unheated garage. Cushions and umbrellas left out all winter rarely survive intact.
Deck & Patio
A quick sweep and inspection now — loose boards, railings, planters that hold water — saves a headache in spring when freeze-thaw cycles have had all winter to make small problems bigger.
Exterior Lighting
Days get short fast in Minnesota. Check that walkway and entry lighting works before you're doing it in the dark, and consider motion lighting near the driveway for safety once snow and ice are part of the equation.
Grills, Tanks & Outdoor Equipment
Disconnect and store propane tanks away from the house, clean and cover the grill, and drain fuel from anything with a small engine you won't be running again until spring.
A Timeline That Works
None of this needs to happen in one weekend. Spread it out and you'll actually get to it.
The one item you can't put off. Everything on this list has some flexibility except the sprinkler blowout. Once overnight lows start dropping into the mid-20s, ground and near-surface pipes are at real risk, and by the time the ground is frozen it may be too late to get water fully evacuated from the system. Schedule it early, not when you finally remember.
Handling the outside of the house is on you. The lawn is on us.
Aeration, overseeding, fall fertilization, leaf cleanup, and snow removal for Owatonna, Austin, Rochester, and southern Minnesota.
Call 507-440-7823