Four Ways to Simplify Your Fall Yard Work

Whacking weeds now prevents them from popping up in the spring, but there's no need to resort to harmful chemicals. Just fill a spray bottle with 3 parts white vinegar to 1 part castile soap (castile soap is an olive oil-based soap made only from vegetable oils, no animal fats). The vinegar kills weeds on contact while the soap helps the solution sink down to the roots, ensuring the weeds won't grow back.

Use a gutter-cleaning blower attachment, a J-shaped pipe that attaches to your leaf blower. Aim the curved end over your gutter, then turn on the leaf blower. The air will clear most debris in seconds, and it's a lot safer than climbing on a ladder.

Fall is the time to plant bulbs for spring. To keep them safe from squirrels, cut 4-inch squares of chicken wire, cover each bulb with soil and top it with a square. The wire's holes will allow the plants to grow but will help stop the critters.

While it might be fun to rake up a big pile of leaves and jump in them, raking is a back-breaking job. Skip the rake and just mow your leaves. If there aren't too many leaves you can skip the bag and just mulch them into the grass. But if you do have a thick carpet of leaves, use your mower bag to collect them — the chopping action of the mower will make them much more compact and you can pack a lot more into your lawn waste bags.