October Gardening Calendar
Now that we are into cooler months and the gardening activities are slowing down I am going to to the calendar month by month. Will resume week by week next spring.
| Category | Week | Activity | |||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Ornamentals | x | x | x | x | Continue watering, especially evergreens if soils are dry. |
| x | x | x | x | Nuts or seeds of woody plants usually require exposure to 3 months cold before sprouting. This may be provided by outdoor planting in fall or “stratifying” in an unsealed bag of damp peat moss placed in the refrigerator. | |
| x | x | x | x | Container grown and B & B trees and shrubs can be planted. Loosen the soil in an area 2 times the diameter of the root ball before planting. Mulch well after watering. | |
| x | x | x | x | Plant spring bulbs among hostas, ferns, daylilies or ground covers. As these plants grow in the spring they will hide the dying bulb foliage. | |
| x | x | For best bloom later this winter, Christmas cactus, potted azaleas and kalanchoe may be left outdoors until night temperatures drop to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. | |||
| x | x | x | Spring bulbs for forcing can be potted up now and stored in a cool, frost-free place until it is time to bring indoors, usually 12 to 15 weeks. | ||
| x | x | Cannas and dahlias can be dug when frost nips their foliage. Allow the plants to dry under cover in an airy, frost-free place before storage. | |||
| x | x | Transplant deciduous trees once they have dropped their leaves. | |||
| x | Plant tulips now. | ||||
| x | Trees may be fertilized now. This is best done following soil test guidelines. | ||||
| Lawns | x | x | Seeding should be finished by October 15. | ||
| x | x | Broadleaf herbicides can be applied now to control cool-season weeds such as chickweed and dandelion. | |||
| x | x | Continue mowing lawns until growth stops. | |||
| x | x | Keep leaves raked off lawns to prevent smothering grass. | |||
| x | x | Now is a good time to apply lime if soil tests indicate the need. | |||
| x | Winterize lawn mowers before storage. | ||||
| Vegetables | x | x | x | x | Sow cover crops such as winter rye after crops are harvested. |
| x | x | Harvest winter squash and pumpkins before frost. For best storage quality, leave an inch or two of stem on each fruit. | |||
| x | x | Dig sweet potatoes before a bad freeze. | |||
| x | x | x | x | Gourds should be harvested when their shells become hard or when their color changes from green to brown. | |
| x | x | x | x | A few degrees of frost protection may be gained by covering tender plants with sheets or light-weight fabric row covers. | |
| x | x | x | x | Continue harvesting tender crops before frost. | |
| x | x | x | x | The average first frost usually arrives about October 15-20. | |
| Fruits | x | x | x | x | Store apples in a cool basement in old plastic sacks that have been perforated for good air circulation. |
| x | x | Persimmons start to ripen, especially after frost. | |||
| x | x | Monitor fruit plantings for mouse activity and take steps for their control if present. | |||
| x | Place wire guards around trunks of young fruit trees for protection against mice and rabbits. | ||||
| Miscellaneous | x | Fall color season begins. | |||
| x | Begin peak fall color in maples, hickories and oaks. | ||||
| x | End of peak fall color. | ||||
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