Organize Your Yard Work-Get It Done

It is that time of the year where the yard takes precedence over the inside of our home.  Memorial Day weekend will be here soon and many of us use that as the weekend to have all our plants planted and our yard looking great.  

You have kids sports in the evenings and on the weekends and you have work, and all the normal daily tasks to complete.  How are you going to get it all done and add the yard work?  

Start your plan with listing all the areas needing to be completed.  I would suggest listings such as edging, planting potted plants, planting garden, planting flower beds, planting new shrubs or plants, mulching, and maybe ripping out a plant not doing well.  

Next, take a look at how you can break this list down into small tasks.  Edging can be broken down into front, back, sides, and outlying areas.  The same process can be used with the potted plants, flower beds and the mulching.  Now, use the past to determine how much time each task will take.  Mark those times down next to each task.  

Now it is time to get your calendar out and mark down the days you can accomplish the tasks.  Remember to give yourself a cushion to buy the needed items and for weather.  If you have a spare 15 minutes during the day, try to work on the smallest task or one that you can easily come back and continue such as edging or working on the potted plants. 

 Get others in the family involved.  Digging holes and pouring dirt into a pot is easy and fun for kids.  Let them help pick out the flowers or plants for the garden.  They are more likely to help if they are involved in the decision making. If you want them to eat the fruits or vegetables out of the garden, let them help pick out the ones they like.  Sometimes your garden space will limit you to choices, but you can always find a vegetable everyone will like.  

As you complete each task and move onto the next, within a few weeks your yard will be ready for the Memorial Day weekend.  I use this plan for my yard and usually finish up with planting my garden and mulching over Memorial Day weekend.  Obviously yard work is never done until the end of the summer, but if you put in a few 15-30 minute slots each week for pulling weeds, you will have a wonderful looking yard all summer long.