Can you avoid long lines for a snow blower before this winter’s blizzard?

How many minutes do you want to spend in line pre-snow storm this winter hoping they still have the shovel or snow blower you should have bought, well, today (or at least this month).

Answer: Zero seconds.

Life is busy, I get it.

There’s always something brewing, but winter prep is something I really like to get ahead of because stupid long lines and Ice Road Trucker’s weather just blows (literally, as in wind). To make it brighter, however, I split up my tasks and give myself a 6-thing to do winter prep weekend: Three for the Winter and three for the Spring. Here’s this year’s:

Flowers. According to our friends at Burpee Seed, September and October are the best months to get the Spring-blooming bulbs in the earth. The air and ground are still warm enough and the bulbs are dormant. So if I want Spring color, I bury it now. I’m a huge fan of crocus and hyacinth and daffodil and…

Fall and winter color. Ornamental cabbage and kale is just ridiculously awesome and I love its awesomeness. Burpee is already out of ornamental kale plants this year so I’m learning my lesson. These plants are robust, sensational for borders and keep their color when it’s cold. And I’m nothing if not adaptable. See below for a cold-weather hack you’ll love.

Grass seed. For me, if I don’t have ‘Fall’ seed down by early September, there’s not really enough time to get it established and growing through a few mows. In other words, October is late, but I keep a bag of grass seed handy for when it snows. I sow it right before the snow falls or as it’s starting to fall. The snow buries it (HA! I’m smarter than birds). Then, when the snow melts, the seeds are drawn into the ground (2-1 birds, how do you like my opposable thumb now?) The seeds are dormant of course, but they fill in the lawn in the Spring when it all wakes up. True story.

Snow. It’s coming. Even if the Farmer’s Almanac is wrong, it’s still coming and I want to be ready for it. While I do have a favorite snow shovel, I’d rather mechanize winter snow management. The novelty of the 2-hour dig out is over for me. A three-stage, 24-inch wide, snow-bank-grinding snow thrower that’s got the go-juice to auger through snow-pack or slush on my driveway and the city plow’s driveway-blocking snow bank gets me out of my driveway minus Baja 1000 antics. Craftsman’s model #88870 is a dig-inner for this. Add some power steering and a hilarious video on the product page (OK, the video is fluff, but the machine kicks snow-butt) and I’m ready. But get it before you need it. Five-minutes (or weeks in this case) early is on time.

Ice Dams. If you’ve had ice dams before, you’ll have them again. And the snowier the winter is, the more likely you’re bedroom walls will be draining water down them. Thing is, fixing them can be quite easy and inexpensive. See, they’re caused by heated air escaping into your attic. Stop that escape with extra insulation in the attic—do not block the eaves or attic ventialtion—and minimize or eliminate ice damming in the first place.

Chainsaw. While a chainsaw feels like an autumn tool to be used with gloves and a flannel shirt sawing firewood for a few hours over the weekend…ahhhh, bucolic Fall image…I’m racing for that thing if an ice storm brings down a tree.

Screw rolled up sleeves and blue sky, you’ll be out there in a crap storm wishing you had a heated jacket cutting the tree out of your driveway. Winter and hurricane season (Super Storm Sandy happened at Halloween) are the two times I extra make sure my saw is ready to run. So, now is the time to get an extra chain or two (or files), fuel (stabilized) and bar oil.

Cold weather hack. I love the scarf my wife made me, however it’s not for work. I have a different approach for that. It requires one old T-shirt. Simply cut the bottom 6-inches off an old shirt. If you like 1/2 shirts, keep the top. Then, use the bottom as a neck gator. I loop it over my head, twist it and loop it again. It’s perfect for winter weather and it doesn’t hang down or unravel during outdoor activity. Also, it don’t cost nuthin’.

Mark

A licensed contractor, tool expert, wood and outdoor enthusiast, and elite Spartan Race competitor, he writes about home improvement and tools for national magazines and websites, and teaches hands-on clinics for other remodeling professionals. Check out his book, The Carpenter's Notebook.

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