Worthington Farmers Market: November 4

The Best Advice for Preparing Your Home and Yard for Fall

This week's newsletter comes from a friend and customer of the Worthington Farmers Market, Clara Beaufort.

As a homeowner, there is always plenty to do. Sometimes it can get overwhelming, and it’s hard to sort out what to do when. Fall is an especially important time to take care of duties in and around your home. Here is a guideline to help you get organized and get through your tasks.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Your home’s interior

There are a number of things experts suggest that you do before the chilly winter months. Take time to ensure you don’t miss any fall maintenance chores with this list:

• Check your furnace. Replace filters and have a professional inspect and service the unit.

• Safety inspection. Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, ensuring they are in good working order and replacing batteries. Make sure your fire extinguisher hasn’t expired.

• Winter linens. Pull out your winter blankets, sheets and quilts to clean and freshen them as needed.

• Consider adding insulation. Improving insulation can reduce drafts and cut heating bills.

• Storm doors and windows. Adding storm doors and windows can also decrease drafts and save energy expenses.

Your home’s exterior

Experts recommend that you take several steps to prepare the outside of your home for winter. Take care of these tasks before colder weather hits:

• Clean gutters. Be sure to clean leaves and other debris from gutters before cold weather. Clogged gutters can get heavy during storms and damage your home.

• Inspect your house. Look over your siding, roof, chimney and deck for damage. Seal any gaps that rodents may find, and make any other repairs you can do yourself. Schedule professional repairs before winter hits.

• Examine entryways. Inspect walking areas for potential risks when snow and ice accumulate. Make sure you will be able to clear snow properly.

Your lawn and landscape

Here are some steps you can take to prep your yard for next spring:

• Mow the grass. Tidy up your lawn with one last mow.

• Aerate. Check to see if water pools in your yard when it rains. If so, you should aerate the ground so water and nutrients can penetrate the soil.

• Add fertilizer. Adding fertilizer in the fall encourages earlier spring growth.

• Trim branches. Fall is a perfect time to cut back dead or damaged growth on trees.

• Plant shrubs. Planting shrubbery in the fall gives roots a chance to establish before winter. Be sure to mulch new plantings.

• Rake up leaves. According to some experts, if your lawn is covered with leaves by more than 20% you risk killing your grass and you may leave your lawn open to damage by molds and pests. If you have a compost bin you can add the leaves to the bin.

Get into your garden

Fall is a perfect time to do some sprucing up in the garden. Here is a great to-do list as suggested by experts at HGTV:

• Container plants. Prepare to bring containers inside for winter. Flush the soil to remove pests, clean up spent growth, and mulch the surface.

• Garden shed. Organize your shed and discard any chemicals that are expired or won’t survive winter.

• Tend your tools. Clean up tools before winter. Lube any metals to prevent rust as well as wooden handles to keep them from drying and cracking.

Cleaning and tidying

Professionals recommend that you think of fall as a great time to do some tidying up. You’ll be better prepared for the holidays and can maximize your time with family. Outside you can put away lawn furniture and store kids’ summer toys. Inside you can do deep cleaning, like washing windows, vacuuming curtains, shampooing carpets, cleaning under large appliances, and organizing your pantry.

Your big job made easier

Maintaining your home is a big job, but by following these tips you can get organized and keep on track. You will have your house in tip-top shape from top to bottom, as well as the lawn, landscape and garden.

Join us inside The Shops at Worthington Place tomorrow starting at 9 AM.

Our vendors for Saturday, November 4th include (in both alphabetical and numerical order):

1 Brown Bros. Farms, LLC 2 A Few Of My Favorite Things... 3 Native Cold Pressed 4 Stonefield Naturals 5 Black Radish Creamery 6 Dan the Baker LLC 7 Blue Owl Garden Emporium LLC 8 Rime Time Curiously Crafted Pops 9 Tiger Mushroom Farms 10 Blue Jacket Dairy 11 Franklinton Gardens 12 Worthington Resource Pantry 13 Anderson Orchard 14 SaraBee Pure Honey 15 Clamlube Brand Hot Sauce 16 Sippel Family Farm/Kokoborrego Cheese 17 Organic GreenFix 18 Made Without Grain 19 North Country Charcuterie 20 Purple Sage Bakery 21 The Market Sharpener 22 Wayward Seed Farm 23 Wayward Seed Farm 24 VanScoy Farms 25 Golden Life Dog Food, LLC 26 Lucky Cat Bakery 27 Raven Rocks 28 Speckled Hen Farm 29 Pleiades Maple Products 30 Mockingbird Meadows 31 Chuck Evans' MONTEZUMA Brand Sauces & Salsas Info 32 Spotted Salamander Soap Company, LLC 33 Ohio City Pasta 34 Michael's Artisan Chocolates LLC 35 Up the Lane Farm 36 Weed Knob Acres 37 Patisserie Lallier 38 Fox Hollow Garden 39 Too Good Eats 40 Sweet thing gourmet 41 Gillogly Orchard 42 Gillogly Orchard 43 Oink Moo Cluck Farms LLC 44 Silver Bridge Coffee Company 45 Dana Lee's Bakery & Catery 46 Jorgensen Farms 47 Kingdom Fish 48 The crazy cucumber 49 Toad Hill Farm 50 Miss Cristy's Bakery 51 Ohio Farm Direct 52 Allergy-free Bake Shop dba Soodles Bake Shop 53 Curly Tail Organic Farm 54 JNA BREAD BAKERY 55 Ohio Bison Farm 56 Honeyrun Farm 57 Flower Child Granola 58 KALEZEES Kale Chips 59 Charqui Jerky Co. 60 9N FARM 61 Dos Hermanos Taco Truck 62 Fired Up Pizza

60 9N FARM 2 A Few Of My Favorite Things... 52 Allergy-free Bake Shop dba Soodles Bake Shop 13 Anderson Orchard 5 Black Radish Creamery 10 Blue Jacket Dairy 7 Blue Owl Garden Emporium LLC 1 Brown Bros. Farms, LLC 59 Charqui Jerky Co. 31 Chuck Evans' MONTEZUMA Brand Sauces & Salsas 15 Clamlube Brand Hot Sauce 53 Curly Tail Organic Farm 6 Dan the Baker LLC 45 Dana Lee's Bakery & Catery 61 Dos Hermanos Taco Truck 62 Fired Up Pizza 57 Flower Child Granola 38 Fox Hollow Garden 11 Franklinton Gardens 41 Gillogly Orchard 42 Gillogly Orchard 25 Golden Life Dog Food, LLC 56 Honeyrun Farm 54 JNA BREAD BAKERY 46 Jorgensen Farms 58 KALEZEES Kale Chips 47 Kingdom Fish 26 Lucky Cat Bakery 18 Made Without Grain 34 Michael's Artisan Chocolates LLC 50 Miss Cristy's Bakery 30 Mockingbird Meadows 3 Native Cold Pressed 19 North Country Charcuterie 55 Ohio Bison Farm 33 Ohio City Pasta 51 Ohio Farm Direct 43 Oink Moo Cluck Farms LLC 17 Organic GreenFix 37 Patisserie Lallier 29 Pleiades Maple Products 20 Purple Sage Bakery 27 Raven Rocks 8 Rime Time Curiously Crafted Pops 14 SaraBee Pure Honey 44 Silver Bridge Coffee Company 16 Sippel Family Farm/Kokoborrego Cheese 28 Speckled Hen Farm 32 Spotted Salamander Soap Company, LLC 4 Stonefield Naturals 40 Sweet thing gourmet 48 The crazy cucumber 21 The Market Sharpener 9 Tiger Mushroom Farms 49 Toad Hill Farm 39 Too Good Eats 35 Up the Lane Farm 24 VanScoy Farms 22 Wayward Seed Farm 23 Wayward Seed Farm 36 Weed Knob Acres 12 Worthington Resource Pantry Info

Join us this Saturday, and every Saturday from 9:00am-12:00pm inside The Shops at Worthington Place!

For more information, or questions related to any of our services, please contact us via email at worthingtonfarmersmarket@gmail.com. See you at the market!

The Worthington Farmers Market is an event of the Old Worthington Partnership.