Your October Garden Checklist: What to Do Now, Region by Region
October brings the spirit of fall. Even if you live in the South and the leaves have not yet changed color, the days are noticeably shorter, and the weather has cooled. In northern gardens, things are settling in for the winter’s long nap, while down South, fall gardens are just getting started. Between Jack-o’-lanterns, leaf peeping, and the fast-approaching holiday season, October is a busy month. Don’t miss completing these lists of garden tasks this month, organized by region:
https://www.bhg.com/october-garden-checklist-by-region-11783013
Diana’s October 1st To-Do Checklist
Ask Junior Farmer Ryan to bring me five small bales of straw for winter mulching of the garden.
Move long planter to kitchen porch and seed more lettuces.
Since we’ve had NO RAIN for a full month, today my perennial veggies - strawberries and asparagus, perennial flowers, grasses and the roses are going to get one last shot of water to end the season. Then, the hose is going away!
Re: “Bring in your potted mums on cold nights and put them back outside the next day to prolong their display. Don’t forget to deadhead them to keep them looking their best for as long as possible.”
My Mums have already had one shearing and are going to bloom again this week. Funny thing, though - the first flush of blooms was the pretty coppery-orange that I like - this next flush? RED! How on earth did that happen?
Clean out a garden bed - and all four sides - a day as I go through October. First Freeze for me is October 15th, so aside from Kale, things are pretty much done. Harvesting any green and un-cracked tomatoes I may find.
My idea to harvest and flash-freeze cherry tomatoes (’Valentine’) is working well. I’ll have two gallons when all is said and done. I will use them in soups and stews and casseroles and oven roasted veggies this winter; anywhere that ‘tomato texture’ doesn’t matter. These would work well in a ‘blistered’ tomato sauce, too! Beau is crazy for cherry tomatoes - I’ll bet he’ll love this idea:
Pasta With Blistered Cherry Tomato Sauce Recipe:
https://www.seriouseats.com/fast-easy-pasta-blistered-cherry-tomato-sauce-recipe
Leaves are generally left where they fall on the lawn, though we do pile as many of them across the north side of the house for winter insulation of the two water lines that run to the kitchen which is above an un-insulated crawl space. Needs to be spray-foamed, but that hasn’t happened yet - and I am NOT going in there! Enclosed spaces FREAK me OUT!
Some people prune back their perennial grasses, but I leave mine up for winter interest and seed heads for the birdies.
Porch needs to be swept (dead bugs and dirt) and some potted annuals will be going to the compost pile today. Circle of Life! ;)
REMINDER TO MYSELF: Ithaca (mule) needs hay again, today. He’s on pasture, but with no rain there seems to be less for him to eat, so he’s been being more obnoxious than normal about getting his treats. He ate all the hay I gave him the other day - he normally wastes some, so he’s obviously hungry!
Kansas, Virginia, and Missouri, you might have a first light frost, or you may have a month of warm days, cool nights, and perfect weather.
Happy October - still near 90 degrees but humidity has dropped over the past weeks.
Summer’s warmth is sticking around in my neck of the woods (Saginaw Valley, 5A).
I fear the “24-hour leaf dump” this year.
We haven’t cooled yet! But, we should (a little, still above average) soon.
I’m hoping nice weather holds until late next week. Wifey and daughter-san both will be on Fall break, and wifey actually WANTS to go on an all fishing expedition, probably to Devil’s Kitchen Lake in So. IL. (A truly wonderful place, despite the name. They should change it to “Slice of Heaven”!).