Weekly Outside Checklist

So it's Saturday. You've gotten up earlier than you usually do, ready to go and do everything that is necessary in your yard. You confidently stride outside, look at the overgrown lawn, the (relatively) unkempt garden, and the messy exterior of the house--and laugh, knowing that in just a couple of hours, all of it will be clean. How are you so confident in this? Because you used this checklist! Follow this checklist weekly to make sure that everything you need to do outside is done. Soon enough, your yard will be gorgeous and you will have a process and routine to keep it that way for as long as you want. (Keep in mind that not all of these things will have to be done every week--some of them may only have to be done once a month, or even once a year--but you should always check to make sure they don't have to be done).

1. Mow & Trim Lawn: This is the obvious first step to your routine. Set your mower at a good height to maximize grass health and get cutting. Once all of the large areas of your lawn are cut, pull out the weed whacker and edge. Also, use the whacker to get into the tighter spaces the mower can't reach.

2. Pull or Kill Weeds: In patios, rocks, grass (and pretty much everywhere else, unfortunately) weeds are always popping up. Don't let them spoil the look of your yard. If you choose to pull them, make sure you get the roots so they can't grow back. Another option is to purchase weed killer from your local hardware store--a popular option is Roundup--and spray it all over your weeds. 

3. Trim Trees: Not only are overgrown trees annoying and get in the way, but they can also be a serious hazard to you and your home. For this reason, you are going to want to pull out a chainsaw or handsaw and cut off hanging limbs and dead branches. 

4. Tend to Plants and Flowers: Trim, prune, plant, move, replant, and do anything else with your plants and flowers next. If you have flowers that require weekly watering, it would be advised to do this now. Also, loosen the soil in the flower bed if necessary in order to maximize airflow and growth. 

5. Rake: Most often this refers to the couple times you have to do this during the fall, but it can also mean raking other things: if you have an apple or crabapple tree in your yard the apples will eventually fall and need to be raked up. Additionally, if you recently had a large storm that knocked down leaves and branches those need to be raked as well. Another important thing to rake is any tall, thick, or matted grass. As soon as grass lays over itself and piles on to each other, there is a significant danger that winter mold will form and kill the grass. To stop this tragedy from occurring, rake the matted grass apart so that there is a lot of airflow and the mold will not form.

6. Cleanup: This is a very general step that means cleaning up anything that you can't rake or blow or mow. Put on those work gloves and move large branches, toys, soccer balls, or anything else you or the kids dumped in the yard over the past week.

7. Seed: If you have a bare patch on your lawn, cover it in grass seed--follow all proper techniques so that you and your lawn are safe--and then stay off for the next few days while the seeds root. Make sure to do this on any bare patches as the grass won't just grow over them; it needs extra help.

8. Fertilize: The best way to fertilize a lawn is to put fertilizer up to the maximum amount in a walk-behind machine and then walk all over your yard. For the best lawn possible, you should do this weekly or bi-weekly (sometimes more often depending on where you live and the season). 

9. Aerate: Do this yearly or every other year in the spring. You can either hire a company to come out with their machinery and do the job for you or rent an aeration machine and do it yourself (the machines are very heavy and difficult to operate, so make sure you are capable before taking on the job yourself).

10. Clean Out Gutters: In order to make sure that water can flow freely off of your roof in the case of a storm, clear out leaves, trash, and everything else from your gutters. Use a ladder and your hands--wear gloves, gutters can be sharp!--to clear them out.

11. Power Wash & Hose Down: Patios, decks, patio furnishings, and house exteriors all get dirty and muddy as life goes on, so make sure that every once in a while you rent a power washer to clean off your deck and patio and hose down the sides of the house and all of your patio furnishings. Make sure everything is dry before you walk or sit on it too much. 

12. Dog Waste Removal: One of the most disgusting, and yet most necessary, parts of keeping a nice yard is clearing out all of the waste your dog drops over the course of a week. If there is a lot of waste in your yard, it would be advised to do this before you mow as you don't want your mower wheels running over the waste. If there isn't much in your yard, you can mow first and do pickup afterward as short grass makes it much easier to see everything.

13. Outdoor Projects: For many lawn and garden enthusiasts, you always have some improvement project going on. If this is the case, now it's time to keep working on that. Be it building a new deck, laying paving stones for a path to your shed, or setting up a trampoline for your kids, this is the time to work on this. 

Now you've got the list. You know that every week you can do everything that is necessary to maximize the value and beauty of your yard. Now go out there and start working with the help of this guide!

Published August 2nd, 2023.

Hassan, Mohamed. "Checklist Illustration." Stockvault, 15 Sept. 2018, Hassan, Mohamed. "Checklist Illustration." Stockvault, 15 Sept. 2018. Accessed 2 Aug. 2023. Accessed 2 Aug. 2023.