Before the First Frost

The first frost is the date by which a great deal of garden and household work is quietly judged. It arrives earlier than people remember, and the cost of being unprepared is a broken hose, a split pot, or a plant that won't return.

In much of Canada, the first frost falls somewhere between early September (northern and prairie regions) and mid-October (southern Ontario and the coast). Watch the forecast from late August onward; a clear, still night following a cool day is the classic setup.

In the garden

Bring tender plants indoors — pelargoniums, citrus, anything that won't survive a freeze — before the first frost, not after. A cool, bright room or an unheated porch is ideal for overwintering. Cut back perennials that have finished, but leave seedheads on plants that feed the birds through winter.

Lift and store dahlia tubers and gladioli corms once the foliage has blackened. Label them. You will not remember which is which in March.

Around the house

Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses, and turn off outdoor taps from the inside if your home has interior shutoffs. A frozen, split hose bib is an expensive and entirely avoidable repair.

Clear gutters of leaves. A gutter that ices over is a recipe for an ice dam, and an ice dam is a recipe for a leak.

Service the furnace if you haven't already. The first cold snap is when every HVAC company in the country is booked solid. Beat it.

The car

If you run summer or all-season tyres, this is the moment to book the changeover. Winter tyres are not a luxury in most of Canada; they are the difference between stopping and not.