We Minnesotans fall into one of two camps: we either enter the fall season rejoicing that we’re one day closer to winter or we ignore the changing leaves and wear our flip flops until the first snowflake appears. No matter which type of person you are, there is a good chance you aren’t thinking about your lawn as much as you were a couple months ago, but the cooler weather of autumn makes it an ideal time to prepare for next spring.

Your grass might be growing more slowly, but that doesn’t mean it won’t benefit from a little extra care. During the autumn, grass absorbs energy, moisture, and nutrients to prepare for a long, dormant winter. Give your lawn a little love now, and you’ll be able to see the difference in the spring.

1. Keep mowing

It might be tempting to stop mowing your lawn, but keeping your grass short will allow more sunlight to reach the crown of the grass and will decrease the amount of leaf that will turn brown during the winter. Set your mower to its lowest setting for the last two cuttings of the year, always taking care to never cut more than one-third of the grass blade at a time.

2. Aerate your soil

Aerating your soil lets oxygen, water, and fertilizer reach your grass’s roots. Fall is a great time to aerate and most hardware stores have gas-powered lawn aerators for rent that will remove small plugs of dirt and drills holes into the dirt.

3. Rake the leaves

Raking leaves can be a big job, but it’s an important one to get taken care of as soon as possible. Putting it off will only make the leaves more likely to get wet and stuck together and much more difficult to rake. Another option is to use a lawnmower with a collection bag or a vacuum system to remove the leaves. No matter which option you choose, be sure to get your leaves picked up before they become a wet, suffocating mess.

4. Apply fertilizer

Fall is the best time of year to apply fertilizer. Grass leaves might be growing more slowly, but the roots and rhizomes (the horizontal plant stem that lies beneath the surface) are still active. Adding fertilizer in the fall gives grass roots the nutrients they need to grow deep now and start out healthy in the spring.

5. Fill bald spots

The easiest way to fill any bald spots in your lawn is to use an all-in-one lawn repair mixture sold at most garden shop and home centers. Typically these ready-made mixes contain grass seed, quick-starter lawn fertilizer, and organic mulch. Before spreading the seed, use a rake to loosen the soil. Then spread a thick layer of the mixture over the area, water thoroughly, and continue watering every other day for two weeks.