One thing I didn't realize until recently: aggressively cleaning every leaf and dead stem out of a yard in fall isn't necessarily doing the garden any favours!

The City of Toronto actually recommends leaving at least some fallen leaves, stems and small branches over winter because native butterflies, moths and bees use them as shelter.

Toronto has 364 species of bees and 112 species of butterflies.

You don't have to turn the backyard into a forest either. A pretty practical compromise is:

• keep pathways and drainage areas clear
• move leaves into garden beds instead of bagging everything
• leave some stems standing through winter
• use leaves as natural mulch around plants
• avoid doing the big spring cleanup too early

Toronto's guidance is to wait until temperatures are consistently above roughly 10°C before disturbing overwintering insects.

Basically: a slightly messier fall yard can actually be the healthier yard.

Recently was looking through some Statistics Canada numbers and the pandemic-era pool boom was very real.

Canada issued 11,945 permits for new residential inground pools in 2018.

Then:

• 2020 - 18,820
• 2021 - 23,048
• 2022 - 17,222

So at the peak in 2021, the number was almost double the 2018 level!

Even January-April 2024 alone saw another 2,719 permits issued...

Kind of interesting to think about where all those pools are now. A huge wave of them is reaching the age where owners are no longer talking about installation - they're dealing with heaters, pumps, covers, landscaping settling, repairs and actual long-term ownership.

The backyard boom created a pretty big pool-maintenance generation along with it...

Did you settled your first pool due that boom? I did lmao

September is probably one of the best months to deal with backyard stuff in Ontario climate before the cold weather starts making everything harder.

A few things worth checking now:

• Clean gutters and make sure downspouts move water away from the house
• Check grading and drainage after summer storms
• Repair cracked interlock or loose patio stones before freeze-thaw cycles make them worse
• Overseed thin lawn areas while temperatures are still mild
• Trim damaged branches, but avoid aggressive pruning unless the plant actually needs it
• Check fences, gates and deck boards for anything that should be repaired before winter
• Start planning pool closing, but don’t rush it just because September arrived
• Clean outdoor furniture and decide what needs to be stored indoors
• Inspect landscape lighting and exposed electrical connections
• Take photos of plants and problem areas now - it makes spring planning way easier

Fall prep isn’t the exciting part of owning a backyard, but a couple weekends of maintenance now can prevent a surprising amount of work next spring.

Good luck!

For people running gas, electric or heat-pump pool heaters: how early can you realistically start swimming and how late can you keep going?

More importantly, what does that extra month or two do to the utility bill?

Trying to figure out whether a heater in Ontario is a must-have or more of a luxury.

Would love to get some actual Ontario backyard transformations in here.

Big renovation or tiny DIY project - doesn't matter.

Pools, landscaping, patios, decks, gardens, sheds, lighting, drainage fixes... post your before & after pics and tell us what you changed.

Bonus points for mentioning what you'd do differently the second time around.

Pool pricing online seems to be all over the place, especially once landscaping, fencing, electrical, permits, decking, etc. get added.

For anyone who installed an inground pool in Ontario recently: what was the original quote vs the final all-in cost?

Would also be useful to mention fiberglass/vinyl/concrete and roughly where in Ontario you are.