Last Winter, much of Canada and the US were surprised by the amount of snow we had. Here in Vancouver, nobody expected that the majority of the city would be blanketed in a wonderland of wintery-gridlock.

Save The Water

If it’s not snowing, it’s raining. Our Springs and Summers are getting progressively hotter and drier. The Farmer’s Almanac for 2017-2018 says that March-April is going to be hotter than usual, so save some of the liquid sunshine and use it on your garden for the growing season next year with a rain barrel or two.

Clean the Garden

Time to put away the outside toys, bikes, parasol and BBQ. If they’re left out, they’ll rust and need replacing by the time Spring comes back around.

This one is 4×6 and made of steel so will keep everything clean and dry, and safely out of the elements. – Available at Home Depot Canada.

Remember the Shrubs

Protect small shrubs and your non-snow tolerant flowering plants with a cover like these 28-inch ones.

Don’t worry though, the gardening season never ends. Here are a few delicious crops you can plant in the Autumn and keep eating through the Winter instead of another Toblerone from your Christmas stocking.

• Onions
• Garlic
• Kale
• Broad Beans
• Asparagus
• Oily herbs like Rosemary

Snow Tires

Cars, buses, and pedestrians were slipping and sliding all over the place. Offices were closed, sidewalks were left icy or covered in snow, de-icing salt was sold out everywhere and there were no free appointments to get cars fitted with their snow tires.

Between October 1st and March 31st, it’s the law here in BC to have snow tires, or at least ‘M+S’ mud and snow tires to drive on many of the BC Highways and mountain passes outside of the city.

Stuck in traffic, in the snow, being cold, because other people didn’t get snow tires. Great.

Winter, or snow tires are also much better at handling the heavy rain as well. Summer tires can ‘aquaplane’ which is where a layer of water comes between the tire and the road. This leads to skidding and loss of control. Winter tires have grooves that go across the tire instead of around, which dissipates the water and gives you more contact in the slippery conditions.

De-Icing Salt

Last year, after the salt ran out in all the hardware stores, people lined up for hours, and even saw a few scuffles at fire stations as they put out a pile of free salt.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Start buying bags of salt now at your local Home Depot and keep them in a dry spot until you need them.

It looks pretty, but this was really slippery as the snow melted and then re-froze.

Seriously, don’t be the one who’s scrambling around looking for salt. Get some early and sell it to your neighbours. I’m just kidding about that, unless you live near me and need salt.

Oh the weather outside is frightful, or is it?

If my local weatherman would just reply to one of my tweets, I’d know the forecast. Until then I like to have my own private weather station that gives me all the information I need.

The La Crosse Wireless Weather Station that has a colour LCD screen and tells you the current temperature inside and out. It also has alerts for when it’s really going crazy outside.

Shoveling Without The Injury

Every time I start shoveling snow, my back starts to ache. Luckily, there’s the Snow Joe Shovelution Back-Saving Snow Shovel.

The Fun Stuff

Right, that’s enough of the preparation and the winter clean-up. It’s time to enjoy the season.

Wrap up the kids and put them in their own little sleigh. If they start to complain, just run and watch them bounce around. They’ll be having the time of their life!

This one is the Steamridge Grizzly Sleigh and looks suitably Canadian for all your winter family photos.

Or, if you have a little daredevil in the family, give them the Blue Wave Thunderbold Inflatable Snow Rider and watch them fly. The bonus of this one is that it’s light when it turns into your job to carry it back up the hill.

In case you’re interested, here’s a handy guide for getting ready for Winter storms from The Home Depot Canada.

That’s it. Now go outside and enjoy the most fun season of the year!

Disclaimer: This post, along with my passion for getting ready for the snow is supported by Home Depot Canada. Please share this blog with your friends. I love getting updates while I make snow angels in the garden.

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