Fall cleanup and winter prep for Kanata yards: what to do before the first freeze
Updated
A season-end checklist for Kanata and Stittsville yards: leaves and City yard waste rules, lawn and sod care, beds, and getting ready for the snow.
Timing the work
Fall work in Kanata runs from late August to the first hard freeze. The order matters more than the exact date.
Late August to mid-September is for seeding. The Ontario government's lawn maintenance guide gives mid-August to mid-September as the best window to overseed. Soil is still warm and there is time for roots before winter.
October is for leaves, beds and the last mows. Late fall, once the grass stops growing but is still green, is when the same guide suggests a fall feeding.
Watch the forecast in November. Once the ground freezes, bed work and sod repairs are done for the year.
Leaves and City yard waste rules
In 2026 the City of Ottawa started a new curbside collection contract on March 30. Leaf and yard waste is still picked up weekly, but it now has to be set out separately from the green bin. Use brown paper yard waste bags or a reusable container labelled Leaf and Yard Waste.
Plastic bags are not accepted for yard waste, including ones marked compostable. Tie branches in bundles with string. The City sets limits on bundle size and branch thickness, so check the rules on ottawa.ca before you cut.
Do not bag sod, soil or rocks with yard waste. Those are not part of the program.
Rake or blow leaves off the lawn before they mat down. A thick wet layer over winter smothers grass and invites snow mould. A light layer can be mulched with the mower instead.
Clear leaves from catch basins in front of your house and from eavestroughs. Plugged gutters are a common cause of ice build-up and wet basements in spring. On lots backing onto the ponds in Kanata Lakes, keep leaves and clippings out of the water.
Lawn care before winter
Keep mowing as long as the grass grows. The provincial guide says to mow high and never take off more than one third of the blade at once. Taller grass roots deeper.
Aerate if the lawn is compacted. The guide lists fall, during good growth, as a time to aerate or dethatch. Core aeration pulls plugs of soil and helps water and air reach the roots.
Feed late. The guide recommends a late-fall application of quick-release nitrogen once growth stops but the lawn is still green. It helps roots and gives an earlier green-up in spring.
Shaded lawns under the big trees in Bridlewood often thin out. Fall is the time to overseed those spots with a shade-tolerant mix, and to rake more often so leaves do not sit on the new seed.
New sod and thin soil
Sod laid in late summer or early fall needs water until it roots. Lift a corner. If it resists, roots are taking hold. Keep watering in dry spells right up until the ground cools.
Stay off new sod as much as you can before freeze-up. Heavy traffic on soft ground leaves ruts that show in spring.
In parts of Morgan's Grant and near the South March Highlands, soil over rock can be thin. Those lawns brown out fast in dry weather. Fall topdressing with a thin layer of good soil, followed by seed, builds depth over a few seasons.
Beds, shrubs and hard surfaces
Cut back perennials that got diseased this year and bag them. Many healthy stems can stay up for winter interest and for birds.
Top up mulch after the ground cools, not before. Keep it a few centimetres back from stems and trunks.
Water evergreens deeply before freeze-up if the fall has been dry. They lose moisture all winter.
Wrap or screen shrubs that sit where snow gets piled or where plow spray lands. Salt from the road can damage roadside plants. Environment and Climate Change Canada lists damage to vegetation as one of the effects of road salts.
On interlock, top up joint sand and clear weeds before winter. Loose pavers are easier to fix now than after a season of plowing.
Drain and store garden hoses, and shut off and drain outdoor taps from inside if your house has a separate shut-off. A frozen line can split and leak into the basement.
Put away or cover patio furniture, and move pots that can crack in the frost into the garage or shed.
Finally, mark the edges of driveways and beds with stakes before the first snow so whoever clears your snow can see where the lawn starts.