Thanksgiving has come and gone and it’s time to do a final check of the yard and garden before the snow flies. Keep raking late falling leaves from maples. Large leaves block out the sun from the grass and can increase the chances of disease. If there is a light layer, you can mulch them up with a mulching mower. A size of about a dime will decompose by spring and add nutrients to the lawn. It’s not too late for a winter application of fertilizer if you did not get around to it in October. Apply winter mulch to perennials before the snow flies but after the ground had frozen. Remove excessive dead growth that can harbor voles and other pests. You may want to mark early emerging perennials so they do not get damaged by spring cleaning activities.