(ARA) - It's starting to get cold outside and all the plants you've been nurturing for months will either whither away or enter their winter slumber. But before the temperatures plunge too far, there are a few simple things you can do that will significantly help your yard endure the winter months and continue to thrive in the spring.
These include fertilizing and reseeding the lawn, raking up and mulching leaves, cleaning out the vegetable garden and flower beds, pruning trees and shrubs and maybe even pulling out an old tree stump or two.
Some of those chores are easier than others, but you don't always need to call a professional landscaping company to do the job (and if you do, we can help you find one)! Most jobs you can do yourself with some rented tools. Not only do you save money, you also get access to a knowledgeable staff, who will make sure you have the right tools at your disposal. They'll even explain how to use the tools in a proper manner to help ensure your safety.
Here are just some of the yard projects rented tools can help you accomplish on your own:

The Lawn 

One of the most important tasks you will need to get done before winter arrives is fertilizing your lawn, aerating, and liming your lawn. Rent a towable or self-propelled aerator and follow it up with your winter fertilization and some pelletized lime.

The Leaves

Most people spend an entire day raking leaves into piles, then bagging them up and carrying them off to the curb. Why not rent a leaf vacuum or blower instead to speed things up?

Vegetable and Flower Gardens

You can get a lot of use out of a tiller. Not only can you make sure your flower beds stay soft, you can also use it to shred plants removed from your vegetable and flower gardens and till them back into the soil. Tilling some of the vegetables and flowers back into the soil replaces nutrients that plants can use next year to flourish.

Prune Trees and Shrubs 

Rented tools also come in handy when you need to prune or remove trees. Rather than buying an expensive chain saw you'll only use once a year, you can rent a 20-inch chain saw.
Instead of paying good money to dispose of the limbs and branches you cut down, you can also rent a portable chipper that can shred tree limbs.
All you have to do is feed material into a chute where it is chipped by blades or cutting disks. A Eleit model is rated to accept and grind limbs up to 4.5 inches in diameter with no minimum. For larger projects, wheel-mounted, towable models are available in sizes to accommodate up to 12-inch-diameter materials.

If you're completely removing a tree from your yard, you may also want to rent a stump grinder to clean out the area where the tree once stood. Not only are tree stumps unsightly, they could also pose a danger to kids playing in the yard, and even to you when you start mowing again in the spring. Stump grinders are easy to operate and their byproduct, mulch and wood chips, can be put to use in the garden.