The back end of summer is a time when you need to be thinking of getting the step ladder out, or investing in a new one. A range of tasks will present themselves and continue over the autumn and into winter.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!To carry these out effectively, you need the elevation to reach the height required to perform tasks competently and produce the desired result. But you also need to think about what makes for safe step ladders, especially matters of height and balance.
An important consideration for gardeners is hedges. If you have any sort of hedge it is likely to have grown a lot over the summer, so come August and September it may need a trim.
The Royal Horticultural Society advises different trimming times depending on the hedge involved. Holly needs a trim in late summer, while yew needs cutting in both summer and autumn. A big privet hedge may keep you particularly busy, as it needs three trims every growing season.
To do all this safely means you need the right size of ladder to reach the top of the hedge without dangerously overstretching or overbalancing, so it is wise to carry out some measurements before you buy.
You also need a step ladder with a firm base so it stays upright when you are up it, as it could be a long way to fall onto a hard pavement, or onto other garden plants that you may wreck.
Similar considerations apply when cleaning your gutters. The time to do this will follow your hedge-trimming season as autumn kicks in and falling leaves threaten to choke the gutters.
This is an essential time to remove blockages and check they are in good shape, but you must make sure your ladder is safe, as you will almost certainly be performing this task above a concrete or asphalt surface some way off the ground.
More tasks will follow, of course, from potentially hanging up outdoor lights before Christmas to another gutter-cleaning job in spring. Just make sure you always have the step ladder to ensure you can do it safely and well.