Yard Maintenance

Our yard maintenance tips can help you keep your home cost efficient, safe & cozy.

Filed under:

Home Maintenance Tips to Tackle This Summer

As the weather warms up, tackle these summer home maintenance tasks keep everything running smoothly—inside and out.
Deck in backyard of house

Spring Home and Lawn Maintenance Tips

Tackle these spring home and lawn maintenance tasks to keep your property looking as good as new.
web_0322_WS_Upkeep_Living_Room_New_2

6 Simple Ways to Get Your Yard and Home Ready for Fall

As the fall season begins, there are a few maintenance tasks to pay attention to around the house. Here are six ways to prepare your yard and home for the cooler season.
0222_WS_Checklist_5Z4A2241_Edit

The Ultimate Summer Maintenance Checklist

The summer months have arrived, meaning certain areas of your home may need some tending. Here are some maintenance tasks to pay attention to this season.
Ornamental_Grass_0178834

How to Care for Ornamental Grass

These types of grasses can add beauty and grace to your lawn or garden, but it is critical to know how to care for them. Here are some factors to consider when selecting ornamental grass.
Web_0122_WS_Checklist_Cummings_hi_rez_002

Spring Checklist: Prep Your Home for Warm Weather

Get your home, lawn, and garden ready for the milder, wetter days on the way
Landscaping_Colleen_McQuaid_P1060790_crop

End-of-Summer Yard and Garden Cleanup Tips

Give your lawn and garden the care they need by removing debris, dividing crowded perennials, and adding mulch—so plants can come back stronger.
Checklist_0167994_tout

Summer Checklist: Small Projects that Pay Off

Warm weather has finally arrived! It’s time to head outside and give your house and landscape some TLC.
Checklist_iStock_1135327368_crop

Pro Tips to Get Your House Ready for Warmer Weather

Spring is here, so it’s time to prime the house and garden for the warm-weather months ahead. Read on for tips on how to get everything ready for the summer.
iStock_182806164

3 Simple Tools to Pick Up Fall Leaves

From leaf blowers to vacuums, we’ve used all kinds of products and technology to tackle this annual chore. Sometimes the best approach is well-designed, simple tools.
iStock_517487346

All About Burning Leaves

Leaf burning can be an effective way to tackle your fall cleanup. Here are a few tips for burning leaves safely.

How to Drain a Hot Tub

Hot tubs are meant for relaxation, but there’s one aspect of owning one that may be stressing you out: draining the water to clean the tub. Read our guide to learn how to drain your hot tub.
Mulch_iStock_1249558342

How to Choose the Right Mulch

By selecting a mulch that suits your plants and site conditions, you can achieve healthier soil, happier plants, and reduced erosion.
spigot
Play

How to Fix a Leaky Hose Spigot

Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey explains some of the common failure points in hose spigots and how to repair them.
Best chemical sprayer guide lead image

6 Best Chemical Sprayers (2024 Guide)

In this guide, our team reviews and recommends the best chemical sprayers for every type of type of residential or commercial job.
Grill_iStock_1147689803

How to Winterize Your Grill and Outdoor Kitchen Appliances

Whether you've got a charcoal kettle on wheels or a gas grill built into an outdoor kitchen, here's how to store your grill during the off-season.
remove_overgrown_foundation_shrubs
Play

How to Remove Overgrown Foundation Shrubs

Ask This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook helps a homeowner remove foundation shrubs that have overtaken the front of her house
cordless_mowers2

Cordless Lawn Mowers That Won’t Quit

We’re living in the golden age of cordless lawn mowers. Not long ago, these quiet, smokeless cutters had anemic batteries that made you wish you were mowing with gas.
roger_snowblower

How to Put Your Snow Blower to Bed

Here’s what to do now to ensure that your snow blower is ready for action next winter.
maintain_pruning

How to Maintain Fruit Trees

Pay attention to these four key areas and your trees will remain at a manageable height while producing abundant fruit. Tom Spellman of Dave Wilson Nursery, one of the largest growers of fruit trees in the country, helps gardeners get the most out of their trees by focusing on this checklist
yard_prep_01

Prep Your Yard for Fall

Cooler temperatures and abundant rainfall are an invitation to tend to what’s green and growing. Here are 3 things you need to tackle this fall
pruning_rc_20101111_558

CHECKLIST | Get Your House Ready for Spring

Put these items on your fix-it list to transition from winter to spring
seeder_xl
Play

How to Revive a Lawn With a Slice Seeder

This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows a quick, easy way to seed and resuscitate a sickly looking lawn
lawn_xl_0
Play

How to Fix a Patchy, Weedy Lawn

This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook resuscitates a dying lawn
web_147754p42

Backyard Renovation: Creating a Low-Maintenance Yard

Using no-fuss materials and water-thrifty plantings, this landscaping pro gave his small urban lot plenty of visual punch
14_yard_sun_scorched

Smart Spring Yard Cleanup

Tackle a little early spring maintenance now to get your yard ready for the growth spurt to come.
00_grill_x

Get to Know Your Gas Grill

Keep your gas grill from going on the fritz. Here's how to identify parts and problems, and keep it firing up just like new
00_yard_tools_x

10 Best Tools for Fall Cleanup (2023)

Are you battling leaves and debris outdoors? Discover the 10 best tools to make your yard beautiful this autumn in our guide to fall cleanup.
MowerService_iStock_1383077278

How to Winterize Yard Tools

Your outdoor power tools will benefit from some upkeep before they hibernate for the long winter ahead.
Fountain_iStock_1006370900

5 Tips for Maintaining Garden Fountains

Without regular care, a bubbling fountain can quickly go from lovely to grubby. Follow these steps to properly care for your garden fountain.
blades_of_glory_xl

9 Steps to a Lush Lawn

Want to create a lusher lawn? Read these tips from This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook.
seed_new_lawn_x
Play

How to Seed a New Lawn

In this how-to video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook plants a new lawn from seed
fertilize_lawn_x
Play

How to Fertilize a Lawn

In this how-to video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook and host Kevin O'Connor discuss proper techniques for feeding a lush, green lawn.