October is the grand finale of the gardening season and the optimal time to prepare for spring!
Although May is probably the busiest gardening month for me, October brings about its own frenzy of activity. It’s my last chance to get it all done before snow – a month of bringing in tender plants, dividing and moving perennials, planting bulbs, and, finally, putting the garden to bed for winter.
GETTING READY FOR BED
Chatting with fellow gardeners over the years, I’ve discovered that everyone has their own garden bedtime ritual. For me, the schedule goes like this. Mid-September through mid-October is perennial dividing and planting time. Many plants, shrubs, and trees get established faster in the moderate temperatures and frequent rains that fall provides. By the time spring rolls around, they are well on their way and better able to withstand those first hot days and the dry conditions that are sure to follow. Best of all, I’m not out in the hot spring sun digging and watering, the heaviest work having already been done in the cooler days of fall.
BRINGING THE GANG INDOORS
For many of us, all those beautiful potted plants that we brought outdoors in spring now have to return to their inside home. Watch the forecast for any impending frost and plan accordingly. It’s always best to segregate your outdoor plants to one area of your home where you can monitor them for any insects before letting them join your other houseplants. Placing them in a cool room initially will help them gradually get used to the warmer and drier air of the house. Any potted perennials can be moved into an unheated garage where you should water them sparingly until putting them out again in the spring. Tender bulbs like gladiolas, tuberous begonias and dahlias should also be lifted and stored out of the cold. For tips on winterizing tender bulbs and plants, click on the link: https://wimastergardener.org/article/storing-tender-bulbs-for-winter/
BULBS AND MORE BULBS
October is also prime bulb planting time. Visualize your garden in early spring. Would you like to see flowers blooming as early as February and continuing on through summer? If so, look into all the types of flowering bulbs that are available and pop a few favorites into the soil now. Come spring, you’ll be glad you did! For more on planting bulbs, see my blog, The Wonderful World of Bulbs
GARLIC ANYONE?
Garlic is also a bulb that you can plant in the fall. Best done from mid-October thru early November, garlic bulbs are the last thing I plant. Shredded leaves make a great mulch to layer over the garlic bed for winter protection. In early spring you’ll notice the long green leaves coming right through the mulch and by summer your garlic will be ready for harvest! For detailed instructions on planting garlic, click on the link: https://nevegetable.org/crops/garlic
ONE FINAL CLEANING
Cutting back spent perennial foliage is best left until after a hard frost when pretty much everything has died back to the ground. I like to leave some plants standing for winter interest. The dried flowers of astilbe and sedum look lovely into late fall and add drama when they catch an early snowfall. Seedpods of echinacea and rudbeckia provide food for birds while rose hips and berries add spots of color in an otherwise dreary landscape. How much you clean up is really a personal choice; just remember that all dead plant material and fallen leaves return valuable nutrients back to the soil.
A LATE SEASON SNACK AND A GARDEN BLANKET
After all the plants and bulbs are in the ground, and any plants I want to save have been brought inside, there are a couple of final steps I take before winter. One thing I do every fall is to apply organic bulb food to my garden beds. This is really the only fertilizer I use and it seems to benefit my perennials as well as the flower bulbs. On top of that, I like to spread some compost around my plants which not only provides nutrients over the coming months but helps to improve the soil. Shredded fall leaves make a great winter mulch for plants that might need some extra protection like hydrangeas or roses, and a good layer of snow provides the perfect winter blanket!
SAYING GOOD NIGHT
I’ve always hated goodbye’s and coming to the end of the gardening season is no exception. The cold and gray winter months ahead can look so bleak but I know there’s life under the surface, waiting for the warmth of spring to begin anew. So rather than say “Goodbye” to all my garden friends, instead I’ll say, “Good night, sweet garden – See you in the spring!”
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