Prep your garden in the fall with these eight picks

Taking care of your lawn in the fall will pay off in the spring. (iStock)

Before packing up the lawn equipment for winter, prepare your lawn and garden bed this fall to give it a good spring start.  Lawncare experts say fall lawn care is essential to strengthening your grass' roots, providing a solid foundation for spring growth. Fall is a great time to fertilize and take care of bald spots in your lawn.  

Beyond lawn care, you should also look to winterize garden beds. Add mulch to insulate the soil and protect plant roots from the cold. Adding extra compost to the garden in the fall will give your soil energy to withstand cooler temperatures. You should also have a system in place for protecting plants from winter freezes.

Here are eight items to help you winterproof your garden this fall:

Lawn fertilizer: on sale for $33.48

Original price: $37.49

Fertilize lawns for better spring results. (Amazon)

Fertilize your lawn in late fall, about three weeks before the ground freezes, with Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard. This fall fertilizer builds strong, deep grass roots for a better lawn next spring. This winter survival fertilizer, $25.99 at Ace Hardware, provides the nutrients to help boost newly seeded lawns and help established lawns grow thicker and greener grass.

Pre-emergent herbicide: $24.97

An herbicide will take care of weeds before your lawn goes dormant. (Home Depot)

You can apply a pre-emergent herbicide in the fall to prevent winter weeds from emerging in the spring. For weed maintenance, try this crabgrass and grassy weed preventer for dry lawns from Scotts. This herbicide, on sale for $53.87 at Amazon, is a liquid lawn weed control solution for 46 broadleaf weed and grass species.

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Grass patch repair: $20

Treat bare spots in your lawn during the fall. (Amazon)

Less foot traffic on your lawn makes fall a great time to repair bald spots on your lawn. Sunday Bare Repair Sun and Shade Grass Seed Spot Treatment combines grass seed, slow-release nitrogen, and moisture-holding mulch to thicken thin spots, stimulate growth, and green your lawn.  Scotts EZ Seed Tall Fescue, $23.44 at Walmart, is another excellent option to fill bare spots and repair lawn damage.

Aerator: $31.95

Aerate lawn for better treatment. (Amazon)

Aerating your lawn gives it time to breathe before the grass goes dormant, which experts say is vital to a healthy spring lawn. Try this manual aerator for smaller areas, which is also a good option for garden beds.  The Agri-Fab 16-inch push spike aerator, $79.99 at Home Depot, is reliable and efficient for maintaining a healthy lawn. Use it for aerating small to medium-sized lawns. 

Compost: $19.24

Compost boosts nutrients to plants and vegetables. (Amazon)

This organic soil mix for all plants and vegetables is a rich blend of natural and organic ingredients enriched with lobster and crab meal. Add it to planters and window boxes to invigorate container mixes. Try this compost caddy for $50 from Simplehuman to start making your compost. These stainless steel cans keep odors in, are easy to clean, and attach to the garbage can.

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Mulch: $3

Mulch is a great garden insulator. (Walmart)

Mulches can be organic, such as grass clippings, straw, bark chips, or similar materials, or inorganic, like this bag of black mulch from Walmart. This wood mulch, $3.33 at Home Depot, helps maintain soil moisture and temperature.

Rake: on sale for $9.97

Original price: $12.94

Keep lawns free of leaves with regular raking. (Walmart)

Contrary to popular belief, fallen leaves don't insulate your garden. Instead, your lawn can suffer malnourishment from sunlight deprivation. Throughout the fall season, give your lawn a good rake with this tool from Walmart to keep it free of debris and healthy. 

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Plant Covers Freeze Protection: on sale for $25.99

Original price: $29.99

Keep covers hand for winter freezes. (Amazon)

Keep these plant covers from Amazon handy for protection from freezes.  These fabric jackets, $9.29 at Home Depot, are great for shrubs.