Tasks To Do In May – Yard and Garden

At this point, your spring cleaning indoors should be winding down, thanks to all the maintenance you did in April, right?   Now, you can focus on some of your outdoor projects and tasks you can do to enjoy your yard all season long. Of course, there are still a few things indoors to be done!

Here are a few tasks you can add to your May home maintenance checklist, courtesy the experts at Houzz:

Install a Patio or Pathway.  Adding a patio or pathway to your yard might be just the update you didn’t know you needed. This outdoor installation can add more usable space outside and help you to enjoy your backyard, even more, this season. Create neat edges, pull weeds, fill in gravel paths with fresh gravel and replace or reposition broken steppingstones.  May is the perfect time to have this project done so you can use your patio and pathway all summer long. While some homeowners choose to DIY a small walkway project, you’ll want to call in a pro for a larger patio installation. The average cost to install  a patio or pathway is $2,859, with most homeowners spending between $1,957 and $3,135.

Start Your Lawn Maintenance Routine.   The time has come for you to start maintaining your lawn for the season. Make sure your grass is cut, watered and mowed regularly. While you may not need it yet due to the spring rain, you might want to consider installing a sprinkler system if you tend to have drier summers in your area.  Regular mowing is a task that needs to be done once or twice a week depending on how much rain there is in your area. If your schedule doesn’t allow, hire landscaping pros to do the hard work for you. The average cost of lawn mowing services is $61, depending on the size of your yard.

Repair a Broken Fence.  If you’ve been putting off making repairs to a broken fence until the weather gets nicer, now is the time. A broken fence can be a real issue, especially if you have pets that enjoy the outdoors as much as you do. Depending on the damage, it can also be an eyesore and that does nothing for the value of your home. The average cost to repair a fence runs about $446. This price can vary depending on the type of fence material you have.

Add Mulch to Your Yard.  Many homeowners use mulch in the flower beds, gardens and in between pathway stones to keep weeds out and soil healthy. Unfortunately, it does have to be replaced annually. The beginning of May is a great time to do so if weather allows. Laying mulch is certainly a project most homeowners can DIY. I recommend a shovel and a good pair of gardening gloves to help you work. The cost of mulch will greatly depend on the area you’re looking to cover. As you can see, the average cost to mulch your yard varies, with most homeowners spending between $200 and $2,000 depending on a myriad of factors.

Give Potted Plants Some TLC.  If you have potted plants that stay indoors over winter, bring them out once the danger of frost has passed.  To help your plants acclimatize, find a protected spot out of the direct sun for the first several weeks outdoors.

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Photo Credit: Svetlana Klaise / Shutterstock.com