October: the full garden list
Plant: ornamental & wildlife
- Perennials, shrubs, ornamental (clumping) grasses
- Cover crops for dormant vegetable beds
- Annual Rye
- Austrian Winter Peas
- Clover
- Elon (Cereal) Rye
- Hairy Vetch
- Late: Holloyhocks
- Larkspurs
- Native Wildflower Seeds
- Bluebonnets
- Indian Blanket (Gaillardia)
- Indian Paintbrush
- Mexican Hat
- Phlox
- Non-Native Poppies
Plant: herbs
- Borage
- Chervil
- Cilantro, seeds or transplants
- Dill
- Fennel
- Lavender
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Perennials thyme
- Summer savory
Plant: food crops
- Artichoke (transplants)
- Arugula, late month
- Beets
- Bok Choy
- Brussel Sprouts (transplants)
- Cabbage (transplants)
- Carrots
- Cauliflower (transplants)
- Chard, Swiss (seeds or transplants)
- Collards (seeds or transplants)
- Fava Beans
- Garlic Softneck varieties of garlic do the best in our region
- Greens, cool season
- Kale (seeds or transplants)
- Kohlrabi (seeds or transplants)
- Leeks (seeds)
- Lettuce (seeds or transplants)
- Mustard (seeds or transplants)
- Radish
- Shallots
- Spinach (seeds or transplants)
- Turnip
Prune
- Oak trees safe to prune
Divide/Move
- Daylily
- Fern
- Iris
- Liriope
- Spring-Blooming Perennials
- Violets
Prep
- Add compost to vegetable gardens along with organic fertilizer if not already done
- Plan wildflower seeds and bulbs to plant in November
- Mulch tropical and semi-cold-hardy plants like gingers, Esperanza, Pride of Barbados, Firecracker fern, and bananas
- Take cuttings of tender annuals to propagate in warmth to renew your garden next spring
- If temps dip, cut basil and preserve in oil in the freezer
- Collect seeds of annuals to dry and store inside until next Spring
Lawn
- Fertilize with an organic slow release formula like 8-2-4 or similar ratio. Avoid products with too much nitrogen. This is the best time of year to fertilize.
- Brown patch: Apply a quarter inch of compost. Apply corn meal. Find out what’s causing the problem like low drainage spots or compacted areas.
- Mow high to fend off weed seeds that are germinating. Taller grass shades them out.
Pests
- Caterpillars become active again. Monitor plants for holes and droppings. Control by picking them off or spraying with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
Other tasks
- Late month: get row cover or plan other protection in case of early frost in November
- Cut basil to freeze in oil in ice cube trays to use this winter in soups and stews
- Collect seeds from summer annuals to dry and store indoors until next spring
- Get houseplants ready to move inside. Investigate for any “buddies” that could be coming indoors with them.
- Dig and store Caladium bulbs when foliage dies.
