October is here! And with it pumpkin spice everything. As well as Halloween, beautiful scenery, and cozy sweaters. But we also have to add to that list of pumpkin spice and everything nice a set of house and garden buildings tasks that need to get on your radar as soon as possible! Yes, it’s time to weed, mow, compost, safely store all your tools inside, and make sure your garden shed is waterproof. So let’s see a few more details about all these tasks!

Insulate those pipes!

The very first thing you need to look at in October are your pipes. Of course, they are not in any danger right now, but it’s always better to prevent than having to fix a huge problem in the middle of winter. And that huge problem could consist of frozen over pipes that burst all of a sudden.

But you can guard them against that if you wrap the pipes in foam insulation. You can also open up your cabinet doors and allow some warm air from inside the house to flow through there toward the pipes. This should keep them at a toasty temperature.

Don’t forget about your garden buildings! If you have turned them into a dedicated room such as a home office, a summer kitchen or a guest bedroom, chances are they have pipes too. Therefore, you have to repeat the insulation process in there as well.

Ready, set, start composting!

October is the perfect month to start your very own compost pile that will help your plants, succulents, and vegetables to grow better. You have a lot of leaves and dead greenery around you, so get going!

It’s easier than you think. Start with a layer made up of all the green leaves and grass clippings from your own garden. Follow that with a ‘brown’ layer made of dead leaves, soil, and coffee grounds that you should always save. Top it all off with kitchen scraps. But remember that you will have to use a pitchfork (or something resembling it) to toss and turn it from time to time. This ensures that the compost heap gets enough oxygen which will then make your flowers grow beautifully.

Ground breaking tip (pun intended) – if you don’t have enough space in your garden for a compost heap, you can always use a large wooden crate. Place it inside your house or garden buildings. Choose a spot where your children or pets can’t have easy access to it.

Declutter your crawl space

This task comes in relation to the one that has you take care of your pipes. The reason is that if your crawl space is full of clutter and one of your frozen pipes does burst during the cold, winter months, it will be ten times more difficult to fix the problem.

Crawl spaces shouldn’t even hold any objects in the first place. So do yourself a favor and remove all the boxes of Mason jars and DIY materials that you have under there.

Tip – Crawl space is a general term used but it can mean anything depending on the architecture of your house. Sometimes it can mean the narrow space under your house, other times it can actually mean your attic or your basement. The important thing is to keep it mess free in case an accident happens.

Store your yard equipment appropriately

It’s October and that means no more work in the garden. As beautiful as it can be, we also have to admit it’s also quite backbreaking sometimes. But the beauty of autumn is that you don’t have to tend to your garden any more. Still, you have one more task on your list. Prepping your garden equipment.

Collect it all from your garden and deposit it inside your garden buildings, garage or garden shed. This will protect it from moisture and rust. Not to mention that you won’t have to sharpen your tools again when spring comes.

As per your lawn mower, it’s best to remove any gas it might still have inside it. The reason is that, if left too long in there, the gasoline can react in combination with the air inside the tank. This will cause oxidation which, in turn, can lead to tiny deposits. They will affect how your lawnmower performs overall.

The same goes for your pressure washer. If you have one, make sure you drain it carefully of any water that might still be in there before storing it in your garden buildings. You can use pressurized air for this task. If not, the water could freeze damaging the pumping mechanism.

Tip – to get rid of old gasoline, visit an auto parts shop near you. They will be happy to take it off your hands. Do not throw it down the drain!

Put away your yard furniture

The only type of yard furniture you can leave outside is the one made of plastic. But we advise you not to buy or use that kind because it’s not environmentally friendly. So, except for that, all other types must be stored for winter inside your garden buildings.

If the furniture is made of wood, rain and snow might make it crack or swell. There is also the widespread misconception that you can leave cast iron yard furniture outside because nothing will happen to it in wintertime.

That’s a mistake! Even though it’s much more resistant than any type of furniture out there, cast iron deck chairs and tables will still have to be cleaned and painted again in the spring if they spent the winter covered in snow.

What about you? Have you started on your autumn house and garden buildings tasks yet? Or are you still working on the list? Let us know in the comment section below how you get ready for the cold months and what else you store in your garden sheds!