Spring Yard Cleanup in Halifax: What It Includes

Spring Yard Cleanup in Halifax: What It Includes and When to Book

A spring yard cleanup with Doucet covers winter debris removal, edge sharpening, bed clean-up, dethatching, fresh mulch and the first cut of the lawn. A fall cleanup covers leaf removal, perennial cut-back, a mulch top-up, edging and an end-of-season tidy. You can book either one as a one-time job, or get both as part of a full-season contract from $1,000.

Yard cleanups at a glance

• Spring: winter debris removal, edge sharpening, bed clean-up, dethatching, fresh mulch, first cut

• Fall: leaf removal, perennial cut-back, mulch top-up, edging, end-of-season tidy

• Mulch: hardwood, dyed or cedar, laid 2 to 3 inches deep and edged

• How to book: one-time or contracted

• Full season: from $1,000, with spring and fall cleanups included and debris hauled off site

• Where: Bedford, Lower Sackville, Halifax, Dartmouth, Hammonds Plains, Tantallon and the rest of HRM

What a spring cleanup does

Winter in Halifax leaves a mess behind. Plows push sand and gravel onto the edge of the lawn, storms drop branches, and whatever blew into the beds in November is still sitting there. A spring cleanup gets the yard back to a clean starting point, so the grass and the beds grow into the season instead of fighting through it.

Winter debris removal

Branches, sticks, plow sand, gravel and the garbage that turns up when the snowbanks melt. All of it comes off the lawn and out of the beds. Sand and gravel left on the grass smother it, and the strip along the driveway stays thin all summer.

Edge sharpening

Over a winter, grass creeps into the beds and the clean line along walkways goes soft. We cut the edges back to a crisp line. It is a small job, but it is the thing that makes a yard look looked after.

Bed clean-up

Dead leaves, old stalks and early weeds come out of the garden beds so the perennials have room to come up.

Dethatching

Thatch is the layer of dead grass and roots that builds up between the green blades and the soil. A thick layer keeps water and air from getting down to the roots. Dethatching pulls that layer out so the lawn can breathe and green up.

Fresh mulch

Once the beds are clean, new mulch goes down. We use hardwood, dyed or cedar mulch, laid 2 to 3 inches deep and edged so it stays in the bed. Mulch holds moisture in the soil through the summer and keeps a lot of weeds from getting started.

The first cut

The cleanup finishes with the lawn's first cut of the year, so the yard is tidy from the start.

What a fall cleanup does

A fall cleanup puts the yard to bed properly, which makes the spring one a lot less work.

Leaf removal

Leaves left on the lawn over winter mat down under the snow and come out in spring as a wet layer that kills the grass underneath. Getting them off before the snow comes is the most useful thing you can do for your lawn in the fall.

Perennial cut-back

Spent perennials get cut back so the beds are clean and next year's growth comes up without last year's stalks in the way.

Mulch top-up and edging

Mulch breaks down and thins out over a season. A top-up covers the bare spots, and the edges get one more cut so the beds hold their shape through the winter.

End-of-season tidy

A last pass over the walkways, the driveway edges and the beds, so nothing is left lying around to freeze in place.

When to book in Halifax

Spring cleanups go best once the snow is gone and the lawn has firmed up enough to walk on without sinking. Working on soaked ground tears up the turf and packs down the soil, so raking and dethatching too early does more harm than good.

Fall cleanups go best once most of the leaves are down but before the snow sticks. Leave it too long and you are raking frozen, matted leaves, or leaving them for spring.

Our regular maintenance season runs from roughly early May to the end of October, so the spring cleanup lands at the start of that window and the fall cleanup at the end. If you want a spot, call before the snow is fully gone in the spring and before the leaves really start dropping in the fall.

One-time cleanup or a full-season contract?

Book a one-time cleanup if you cut your own grass and just want help with the heavy spring or fall work. It also makes sense if you just moved in, you are getting a house ready to sell, or the yard got away from you for a year or two.

A contract makes sense if you would rather not think about the yard at all. Our full-season lawn and property maintenance starts from $1,000 a season, and both cleanups are built in. Here is what that season covers:

• Grass cut to 2.5 to 3 inches, every two weeks, about 12 cuts

• Whipper snipping all edges, curbs, steps, posts and trees

• Trimming weeds in hard surfaces and blowing the clippings off them

• Spring and fall cleanup, with debris hauled off site

• Flower bed maintenance, edging and weeding

• Shrub trimming as needed

• Fertilizer, lime and aeration

If you were going to book both cleanups anyway, a contract folds them in with the rest of the season, and you are not left with a pile of bags at the curb. For how the season price is worked out, see our lawn maintenance cost article.

Yard cleanups in Bedford and Lower Sackville

Bedford and Sackville are both in our service area, along with Hammonds Plains, Tantallon, Beechville, Timberlea, Halifax, Dartmouth, Cole Harbour and the rest of HRM. The cleanup itself is the same wherever you are. What changes is the yard. A lot with big trees needs more leaf work in the fall. A yard beside a busy plowed road usually has more sand and gravel to pull off the lawn in spring. A yard with a lot of beds takes longer to edge and mulch than one that is mostly grass. We price the yard in front of us, not a standard package.

What a cleanup will not fix

A cleanup gets the yard tidy. It will not fix a lawn that sits under water every spring, or beds that stay soggy long after the rest of the yard has dried out. That is usually a grading or drainage problem, and it is worth fixing before you spend money on new mulch or seed every year. Our drainage page explains the fixes.

Not sure whether you need a one-time cleanup or the full season? Ask us on the site visit. You will have a flat written price within 24 hours, and Jack is on pretty much every job site.

Frequently asked questions

What is included in a spring yard cleanup?

Doucet's spring cleanup covers winter debris removal, edge sharpening, bed clean-up, dethatching, fresh mulch and the lawn's first cut. The mulch is hardwood, dyed or cedar, laid 2 to 3 inches deep and edged.

When should I book a spring cleanup in Halifax?

Once the snow is gone and the lawn is firm enough to walk on without sinking. Working on soaked ground tears up the turf. Calling before the snow is fully gone gets you on the list for when the ground is ready.

What does a fall yard cleanup include?

Leaf removal, perennial cut-back, a mulch top-up, edging and an end-of-season tidy. Getting the leaves off the lawn before the snow is the most important part, since matted leaves kill the grass underneath over the winter.

Can I book a yard cleanup without a full-season contract?

Yes. Spring and fall cleanups can be booked one-time or contracted. If you want both cleanups plus mowing, our full-season maintenance starts from $1,000 a season and includes both cleanups with the debris hauled off site.

Do you do yard cleanups in Bedford and Lower Sackville?

Yes. Bedford and Sackville are both in our service area, along with Halifax, Dartmouth, Hammonds Plains, Tantallon and the rest of HRM.

The leaves are coming down now, so this is the time to get on the fall list. Phone (902) 221-4582.