Plants or pipes first? Your winter order before the freeze

One cold night can blacken your tomatoes and split a faucet.

It's the same cold snap doing both, and you've only got so much daylight before it hits.

So what gets your first hour: the garden bed or the pipes?

I tried doing all of it in one weekend once. By Sunday night the caulk gun was still on the porch rail and the attic hatch was still open. Now I spread winterizing over four weekends, in the order winter breaks things.

Weekend one's the big one. If you can't get to the rest, don't skip that one.

Then there's the faucet question people ask most. Do you leave it open or closed all winter?

The guide settles it. It also names the one way to thaw a frozen pipe you shouldn't ever try.

What the guide walks you through

• The weekend order: what breaks first, and what can wait.

• The frost night: a short job before dark that beats a long one after.

• The faucet valve: open or closed, and why it matters.

Get your 4-weekend winterizing plan →

Talk soon,