Ah, summertime! It’s almost upon us for most of the country (even up here in Michigan!) and that means one thing: time to finally go outside! So consider the backyard - it’s right there, it’s perfect for entertaining company or holding barbecues...but it might not quite be ready for primetime just yet. If you need to get your yard, garden, or your various outdoor accommodations cleaned and ready for the parade of summer holidays you’re sure to face, here’s a few easy backyard projects and cleaning tips to get you started! Be Prepared: The best place to start with any cleaning project is to plan out what you’ll need ahead of time. Make sure you’ve got some heavy gloves and yard waste bags, and then move on to specific tools you’ll need for the jobs at hand - pruning shears, rakes, and so on. Now might be a good time to consider bringing out some garden tool racks or wire shelving to keep your tools on - it’s bound to get a little dirty out there and you’ll want to keep everything up high and nearby! Start With The Leaves And Twigs: Odds are if you haven’t been in your backyard too much since the weather turned, there’s probably going to be a lot of foliage on the ground you don’t need. A good starting point is to give your whole yard a raking, to pick up all of the smaller debris that might get in the way later like twigs and dead leaves. Weed Out: Weeds have a bad reputation for not being particularly fun or welcome, and for good reason - nobody wants them (or to remove them!) This might be a good way to get the kids involved by incentivizing them with money or treats for every weed they successfully remove from the yard. Prune Down Shrubbery: Your nearby trees and plants have probably gotten a little overgrown in the preceding months, so now is a perfect time to trim them up a little bit. Shape edges with hand pruners to create pleasing (and properly-fit) shapes for the yard and prevent overgrowth into other plants (or other parts of the yard). Map Out The Landscape: Once everything looks a little better, it’s time to decide what to do with all the space! Make a plan for where your outdoor furniture is going to go, figure out where your new grill is landing, and start thinking about what you want to plant in the garden for the year. After that, there’s nothing to it but to do it! Of course, your yard might require a little more TLC than all this, but these are good places to start - and if you get started now, it’ll be backyard party season in no time!