October Gardening To-Do List

I like to include some good alternative items among all of the supposed bigger topics. So here is October’s gardening to do list. Look for some other irrelevant items soon.

This information is mostly complements of HGTV. I have tried to make this generally applicable to Northern Nevada but has good general information for most locations. If your area has unique issues to deal with, I suggest you contact HGTV or other gardening sites to get information that applies to your area.

There are lots of other tasks that are not included here such repairing your raised bed planters, taking down and storing trellises used for vines or vertical vegetable gardens, getting the last of your tomatoes in before the first freeze, cleaning and storing pots for next year and other things.

Autumn’s falling temperatures mean it’s time to get busy wrapping up the gardening season. But be cautious as we have seen warm temperatures throughout much of October and into November in the past. This can impact fall plantings and delay when to shut down lawn watering. Here are some suggestions for your yard in October.

Create a Fall Container Garden

Design fall containers using a mix of annuals and perennials featuring bold autumn hues. This pot will shine through fall with a combination of gold and red calibrachoa, lime green Angelina sedum, ‘Plum Dazzled’ sedum and ‘Ogon’ variegated sweet flag (Acorus gramineus). All but the calibrachoa can slide into the perennial garden when their pot debut is over. Expect this mix of plants to bring the color through Thanksgiving in all but the coldest zones. In regions with mild winters, these plants will keep the show going all winter long.

Feed the Lawn

The last fall feeding is the most important of the year for cool season turf. In fact, if your lawn is healthy, it may be the only feeding you do all year but probably you will need a spring feeding in our area. Typically it takes place after the last mowing. This fertilizer is often packaged as a “winterizer” product containing slow-release nitrogen and potassium, which helps promote strong root growth before the ground freezes. When to apply winterizer varies depending on where you live. Northern zones will start winterizing as early as late October, while warmer regions may wait until late November.

Divide Perennials

Dig and divide established perennials that have outgrown their spot in a planting bed or have a dead area in the center of the clump. A perennial that has stopped flowering is also a good candidate for division. Or maybe you just want to multiply a favorite plant. To divide, dig the entire perennial, discarding the oldest part of the clump. Replant the newer, younger portions of the clump, which are usually located along the edges. Immediately after planting, water divisions and continue to do so until the ground freezes if it’s a dry fall.

Water Landscape Plants

In some regions, autumn rains cover watering needs. In areas with freezing winters, it’s important to water trees and shrubs throughout the fall. If drought conditions persist before the ground freezes, continue to water, especially trees and shrubs that were planted in the last 12 months.

Choose Critter-Resistant Bulbs

October is the prime month for bulb planting in many zones. If you’re fed up with deer or squirrels feasting on your tulips, focus your purchases on bulbs that wildlife tends to ignore. Great choices include Allium species, such as this giant type, which weaves a bit of whimsy into any garden. The bulbs, leaves and flowers taste like onions, so critters leave them alone. Other good wildlife-resistant bulbs include daffodil, hyacinth, fritillaria and grape hyacinth. For smaller bulbs that wildlife ignores, try Anemone blanda, crocus, dwarf iris, Chionodoxa or Eranthis.

Plant Spring Bulbs

Start planting spring-flowering bulbs as soon as you see them for sale. Try something different with your bulbs this year to stage a spectacular spring show. Plant daffodils in large drifts along a fence or the edge of your yard. Daffodil flowers face the sun, so keep that in mind if you want to see the blossoms from indoors. Tuck crocus, snowdrops or Siberian squill into a lawn for naturalizing. Or plant a river of hyacinth edging a planting bed. For the best show, buy the biggest bulbs you can afford. Toss any that have soft spots. If tulips are missing their papery covering, they’re fine to plant, as long as bulbs are firm.

Test Garden Soil

Fall is a great time to test soil so you can address any deficiencies before spring planting. DIY rapid soil test kits work well, but accuracy can vary by brand. For a thorough soil analysis, pick up a soil test kit through your local extension office. The beauty of a fall soil test is that you have ample time to act on the results and add the right amendments to the soil so it’s good to go for spring planting.

Keep Mowing

If the grass is growing, keep mowing. Lower the mower as the season unfolds. Shorter grass allows blowing autumn leaves to keep moving; longer grass blades catch leaves.

Plan for Christmas Cactus Blooms

Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti form flower buds in response to day length and/or cool air (55° to 65° F). Plants grown outdoors for summer on a porch or shady deck will set buds naturally as fall days start to shorten. For plants kept indoors year-round, cover plants at night or slip them into a dark closet to provide 14 to 16 hours of darkness daily for one week. Do this approximately six to eight weeks before you want plants to bloom.

Deal With Leaves

Enjoy fall’s crisp afternoons by dealing with leaves often. Leaves that accumulate on grass can kill it. Left on decks and sidewalks, leaves create slippery footing. Try to rake and remove leaves as soon as possible after the major fall drop occurs. Time leaf raking or mowing before rain mats the leaves together.

Invest in Frost Protection

Monitor weather reports daily as temperatures start to nosedive. When frost is in the forecast, protect plants by covering them with a sheet, towel or other non-plastic material. Wait to remove covers in the morning until the air has warmed. Often the frostiest time of day is through the morning hours. To keep the vegetable garden yielding through frosty nights, cover plants with frost blankets made from spun polyester. The blanket lets sunlight and water through but excludes frost. Frost blankets come in different thicknesses or weights to protect plants in various temperatures. Read labels carefully to get the protection you need.

Dig Tender Bulbs

After frost damages foliage, dig bulbs, tubers and corms of non-winter hardy plants, including dahlia, calla lily, canna, caladium, gladiolus and tuberous begonia. Clip the remaining stems, leaving a short stub attached to the bulb. Dry bulbs in the sun or a shed for several days, until soil falls away. Gently knock or rub soil from bulbs, shorten stems and store in sawdust or peat moss in a cool, dry place for winter.

Grow Cover Crops

Covering soil has always been viewed as a key to soil health, but new research shows that you can improve soil even more by keeping it planted. Cover crops provide the answer. In winter, use annual ryegrass and crimson clover in unplanted areas as a cover crop. Turn the crop under in spring before letting flowers set seed.

Protect Pumpkins

If you’re growing pumpkins to store for winter, do not let them experience frost. Ideally, harvest pumpkins and any other winter squash before frost is in the forecast. If your area experiences an early cold snap that lasts just one night, cover ripening pumpkins with a sheet, bucket or box. When it’s time to harvest, cut pumpkins and winter squash leaving a 1- to 2-inch stem attached to fruit. Don’t use the stem as a handle, or you risk breaking it. That stem helps to seal the pumpkin, enabling it to store longer.

Prune Out Problems

In general, you want to avoid pruning woody plants — trees and shrubs — in fall. Shorter days and tumbling temperatures signal these plants to prepare for winter dormancy. Pruning triggers new growth, which incoming freezes will definitely kill. But there are exceptions to fall pruning. It’s okay to remove dead branches, which might come down during winter ice storms. It’s also a good idea to shape or remove storm-damaged branches, which would likely protect a tree from further damage. Look for more information for pruning plants that go dormant for the winter.

Cover Soil for Winter

After clearing summer crops from the vegetable garden, plan to cover the soil for fall and winter. Layering on compost and chopped autumn leaves is a great practice. Another option is to compost in place by piling frost-killed annuals and emptying annual-filled container gardens onto planting areas. Cover the materials with chopped fall leaves, add some finished compost and cover the whole mound with straw. By spring, much of the material will have broken down. Toss things that haven’t broken down completely into the compost pile.