Posted on 10/01/2025 5:23:58 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to/removed from our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a MONTH Ping List, but we DO post to the thread all throughout the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time.
Pumpkins!
Notable Birthdays for October 1
Caroline Harrison (1832-1892) - Educator and the 24th First Lady of the United States.
William Boeing (1881-1956) - Engineer and founder of the Boeing Company.
Bonnie Parker (1910-1934)- Criminal and half of the duo Bonnie and Clyde.
Walter Matthau (1920-2000) - Actor who will forever be remembered for his roles in The Odd Couple and the Grumpy Old Men movies.
Jimmy Carter (1924-2024) - The 39th President of the U,.S.
Tom Bosley (1927-2010) - Actor who played Howard Cunningham on the t.v. series Happy Days.
Mary McFadden (1938-2024) - Fashion designer.
Marc Savoy (1940-Still Living) - Creator of the Cajun Accordion.
Herb Fame (1942-Still Living) - R&B singer and half of the duo Peaches and Herb.
Dave Arneson (1947-2009) - Game designer who co-created Dungeons & Dragons.
Joshua Wurman (1960-Still Living) - Scientist and avid storm chaser who invented the Doppler on Wheels.
Tom Clancy (1947-2013) - Author of made for big screen novels The Hunt for Red October and Patriots Games.
Memorable Events for October 1
1832 - Texian political delegates gather to petition for changes in the governance of Mexican Texas, eventually becoming present day Texas.
1861 - Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management is published giving instructions on how to run a household (management, childcare, recipes, and social etiquette).
1890 - Congress establishes Yosemite National Park.
1891 - Stanford University (CA) opens.
1903 - The Boston Americans play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of baseball in what would become the modern World Series.
1908 – Ford Model T automobiles go on sale for $825.
1931 – The George Washington Bridge joining NJ and NY is opened.
1940 – The first superhighway (Pennsylvania Turnpike) opens for traffic.
1957 – The motto In God We Trust appears on U.S. paper currency for the first time.
1961 – The first centralized military intelligence is formed in the U.S. under the name The United States Defense Intelligence Agency.
1962 – James Meredith defies segregation rules and becomes the first Black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi.
1964 – The Free Speech Movement begins at the University of California, Berkeley.
1971 – Walt Disney World opens in Florida.
1975 – Muhammad Ali defeated Joe Frazier in Manila, Philippines.
1979 – Pope John Paul II visits the U.S.
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
'Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee!'
“Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
He thinks too much: such men are dangerous”
― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Summer will not go away here. Dry, dusty, still as death and hot. We did get enough rain to add about a foot to the pond. Caladiums are fading, Lantana and Salvia thriving, Virbena is back from the heat of summer, grass fading but slowly, pasture blue stem is beginning to bloom.
Still have tomatoes and all kinds of peppers but they too are wearing out. The herb garden persists.
We had a bumper crop of pears and made jam and canned spiced pears.
I will not pull up blooming flowers to plant Pansies and so they go in very late or not at all. February and time to prep for the next year will be here sooner than one thinks. Cleaning up a small mountain of pine needles, chestnut husks and leaves has been facilitated since I built a big leaf bucket for the tractor.
The winds of winter will be here soon enough and our brief season of carrying wood to the stove which I doubt is a net gain but nice to have and see the flames until the glass is covered with soot.
We have not had one hint of a crisp fall day yet though and don’t see one in the forecast. By this time of year we have usually seen at least one or two decent cold fronts. Our first frost should be here about the middle of November. Meanwhile I am still mowing the lawn.
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.
My Christmas cacti that I have in my north-facing kitchen window are growing like Godzilla did.
I originally gave them one juice glass of water each poured down their wrappers every ten days. I now give them two.
Thanks for the new thread! The cooler temps at night and in the early mornings here in OK sure do feel great.
Picked the first few (specifically, 3) fall tomatoes from the Early Girl. Planning to ripen then in a small paper bag on the windowsill. Peppers are producing again, much to my surprise because evil grasshoppers destroyed most of the leaves. Guess “life will find a way”. :-)
All the male hunters have started growing their beards to help keep their face warm and add natural camo
I couldn’t live/garden in a warmer climate; 6 months of a growing season is MORE than enough work for me!
Starting in November, I long to see everything covered in a pristine layer of SNOW. *SIGH* We love our winter sports; snowshoeing, ice fishing, taking out the sleds (snowmobiles), etc.
I’ll go further North if I have to - no further than ‘tomato growing weather’ - but not South. ;)
Pumpkin Soup!
Even if it IS made with butternut....
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 have to clean up our leaves around the house since we heat with a wood stove. Don’t need an ember coming down on leaves piled against the house. I also try and keep the leaves cleaned up for a good size perimeter around the buildings in case someone else catches their place on fire and it turns into a forest fire and heads this way. Several times a year in Fall and again in Spring, we rake the leaves onto the driveway and burn them. Gives a 100 foot buffer.
Previous property owner across the road used to burn his place off in Spring and did a set it and forget it method. He set it off one year and headed to another county to do errands. Several hundred acres. Forestry dept had a helicopter to see where it was and relay to bulldozers on the ground to stop it from advancing to the neighbors’ houses.
Glad he’s gone.
I clip the tall, dry fescue before winter for fire safety but also because I like the look of solid white snow yard over snow with brown/tan grass sticking out of it. Plenty of that across the road for the birds.
Beautiful GIF. Reminds me of a fall when I was emailing with a genealogy cousin in Florida who hadn’t seen leaves turn. So I went out as the leaves fell and caught them in a box and mailed them to her with fall berries and nuts. Must have been an amusing table decoration along with seashells.
Quantum Leap - Turn, Turn, Turn - Judy Collins
https://youtu.be/NtGYUEnaTDM
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