Acreage Life in the Fall

Autumn can be one of the most beautiful seasons of the year – especially for families who live on acreage. It’s a season of colorful transformation, as vibrant leaves signal the shift from summer’s frenetic pace to winter’s quiet, snow-covered serenity.

As charming and alluring as these memories can be, they must be balanced by an equally compelling feature of the fall season work.

Let’s discuss the autumn acreage activities (pardon the alliteration) that are challenging but necessary chores, that can actually add to the appeal of acreage life.

Lawn Care

Shortly after the leaves change color, they fall to the ground.

The obvious “tools of the trade” for this job are a leaf rake and a leaf blower. After roughly herding the leaves into various areas in the yard with the blower, the leaf rake is used to gather them into neat piles. The blower is also an indispensable tool for efficiently clearing areas such as gardens, driveways and walking paths. Large areas can be tackled efficiently using a backpack blower.

If you would rather use the leaves to return nutrients to the soil, “mowing” them with a mulching attachment on your riding lawnmower can be effective. In any case, it is best to avoid letting the leaves pile up, as they can smother the grass and encourage diseases.

Fall is also a good time to aerate your lawn which helps to alleviate soil compaction, improve drainage and allow air, water and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the root system and reduce thatch buildup.

Applying a winterizing fertilizer, especially one with a high potassium content, provides the necessary nutrients for your grass to withstand the winter cold. This season is also an excellent time to do some overseeding of any bare or thinning areas of your lawn.

Tools and Tips for Fall Pruning

Pruning and trimming your trees and shrubs adds a beautifully manicured look to your property that you can enjoy throughout the fall and winter. This is best done in late autumn when trees are dormant.

Pruning shears and secateurs (small hand pruners) are ideal for making precise cuts on perennials, shrubs and roses. For branches larger than one inch thick, loppers provide the extra leverage needed to cut through growth up to about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

A number of saws are available for tackling larger branches or ones that cannot be safely reached with a ladder. A chainsaw is an indispensable tool for life on acreage. It can remove large branches with ease and even entire trees, if necessary.

For tighter areas, a pruning saw comes in handy for removing larger branches. Use a pole saw for trimming high branches without needing a ladder. And a small, pole-mounted chainsaw makes that job quick and easy. Use a hedge trimmer for maintaining hedges and shrubs. Cordless trimmers provide better maneuverability and reduced strain than electric or gas-powered models. 

Infrastructure Maintenance

Cleaning gutters in the fall is an absolute necessity for preventing blockages that can lead to ice buildup and damage to your home. It may also be time to “mend fences”— literally. Inspect all fence posts and clear debris from around them to prevent moisture buildup which could lead to rot. Look for loose or damaged boards and posts and make the necessary repairs before winter hits.

Pest Control:

Autumn is an ideal time to tackle broadleaf weeds, as they are actively storing nutrients in their roots and are more susceptible to herbicides. Consider using pre-emergent herbicides to prevent weed seeds from germinating and post-emergent herbicides for established weeds. Watch for signs of insect or rodent activity and address the issues promptly. Consider using a pest control service, if needed.

Tractor and Attachments:

If there were any one single icon that most represents life on the farm, it would likely be the tractor. Why? Because it is eminently useful, practical and readily available – and that’s just used by themself. Combined with the seemingly endless list of attachments that work with most tractors, their use on the farm becomes, not just convenient, but necessary.

In addition to the front-end loader and rear-mounted backhoe — the most common accessories found on tractors — these add-ons are also available:

Brush cutter: Also known as a rotary cutter, this accessory is ideal for cutting down tall weeds, brush and overgrown areas, especially if you have pasture or rough terrain. They effectively handle thick vegetation that a regular lawnmower can’t manage.

Box blade: This highly versatile tool can be used for grading driveways, leveling land, spreading gravel and creating pathways.

Pallet fork: Useful for lifting and transporting logs, trees and other stackable materials.

Post hole digger: Creates quick and precise holes for installing fences or planting trees.

Snow removal accessories, for use in the late autumn and early winter: The snowblower attachment removes large amounts of snow, especially during heavy snowfall. And a front-mounted blade attachment is easier to maneuver than a rear blade and ideal for clearing snow from driveways and roads.

This list of tools and autumn activities is far from exhaustive. But it does provide an idea of some of the challenges associated with maintaining acreage in the fall and helps property owners to understand that embracing these challenges and working through them is one of the things that gives “life on the farm” its charm.

And each time a job is done well, using the right tools, we are reminded of why that new ache in the lower back, the big splinter in the thumb that we picked up today and the fresh tear in our new pair of jeans is so worth it.