October garden goals are here! Pumpkin spice, sweatshirts on cool mornings, and hints of fall color—we couldn’t be more excited. August’s humid days are blissfully behind us, and we’re finding new energy in fall temperatures. What better time to be outside putting the garden to bed when the air is crisp and refreshing? Yes, you can have a winter garden, but the summer one needs a rest.
There are so many daffodils (or Narcissus) that you can enjoy their blooms from February into April. Multiple colors, multiple blooms on one stem, and one that looks like scrambled eggs. (Can you guess which one?)
1. Buy Bulbs, Plant Bulbs
If the soil is workable, you can plant bulbs in Western North Carolina from now through December. But buy the bulbs ASAP because they sell out fast. Store them in a cool, dry, and somewhat dark place until planting. Chill times are needed for bulbs to bloom in the spring, and the chilling times for different bulbs are below. Without the cold, the blooms are less or nonexistent.
Chilling and Blooming Times For Bulbs
Note: Amaryllis and paperwhites do not require a chilling period; pot them up and look for blooms four or more weeks later. Put them on your calendar now, as the holidays are coming soon.
- Crocus: 8 to 15 weeks of chilling; 2 to 3 weeks to bloom after chilling
- Daffodils: 12 to 15 weeks of chilling; 2 to 3 weeks to bloom after chilling
- Grape hyacinth: 8 to 15 weeks of chilling; 2 to 3 weeks to bloom after chilling
- Hyacinth: 12 to 15 weeks of chilling; 2 to 3 weeks to bloom after chilling
- Iris reticulata: 13 to 15 weeks of chilling; 2 to 3 weeks to bloom after chilling
- Tulips: 10 to 16 weeks of chilling; 2 to 3 weeks to bloom after chilling
- Snowdrop (Galanthus): 15 weeks of chilling; 2 weeks to bloom after chilling
2. Weed, Weed, Weed
Weeding will always make the monthly to-do list. Many weeds will seed now, and it is crucial to oust them. If time is an issue, try to remove the seed heads with a sharp pair of dead-headers, eliminating seeds for next year’s weeds. Check out the Weed Science Society of America and Rutger’s Weed Gallery to learn more about weeds, especially weed identification. In fact, there are some weeds you might consider keeping… See which weeds they are and why you’d want to keep them!
3. Clean up Perennials and Sickly Plants
Perennial flowers and foliage plants are rarely evergreens (although there are exceptions), so you’ll most likely find them beginning to die back in October. What’s dying back are the shoots, not the roots! Cut perennials completely back as they begin to yellow, and you’ll see shoots emerge next spring. If you’re thinking, I don’t know what a perennial is, then in this case, look for hostas, Shasta daisies, echinacea, peonies, salvia, and the like.
Also, rake up any sickly plant material and dispose of it. Harmful plant material is harboring ground for next season’s diseases and pests. So when you clean that up now, you’ll get healthier plants next year. Don’t leave debris around the plants; rake it away and dispose of it rather than compost it.
September is typically the best month for dividing perennials (they’re going dormant, but you can still see them), and this can be done into October. Click here if you want to know more about how to divide perennials.
Shasta daisies must be divided every three to four years to keep the plant full and the flowers blooming.
4. Gather the Leaves
Depending on the temperatures, this can be more of a November garden activity than in October, but some trees drop leaves early, so stay ahead of the raking. Please don’t give the leaves to your municipality when they start falling. Instead, gather them up and work them into the garden beds. Leaves contain two times the mineral content of manure, are organic roughage—adding them to the soil improves drainage and aeration—and serve as food for beneficial microbes. They’re also good food for compost. Also, don’t leave them on the grass either; that kills the grass and leaches all the good stuff out of the leaves. Instead, rake those leaves and put your natural resources to work for you in your garden.
You have a couple of options.
- Rake the leaves into a pile and run the lawnmower over them a few times—the inexpensive way—or purchase a leaf shredder. After shredding, mulch the garden beds with the leaves. Raking the leaves directly onto the beds without shredding takes much longer for leaves to break down, and some leaves may mat together, not allowing air circulation and water to get through.
- Make a leaf mold by putting leaves into a leaf bag, dousing them with water, and punching a few holes in the bag. The leaves will break down into excellent, crumbly, organic food for your soil.
Doug Tallamy’s book Nature’s Best Hope is a definite winter read for anyone interested in practicing a more ecological approach to leaves and landscapes.
5. Clean Up the Vegetable Garden
Remove all spent and diseased plant material from the garden. Tomatoes that suffer tomato blight should be pulled up, bagged, and thrown away. Consider planting a cover crop for winter. You could also use your leaves in the vegetable beds, too. Improving the soil is always the goal of any gardener. Harvest all your herbs and late summer crops before a freeze gets them, and remember that now is an excellent time to plant garlic.
6. Skip the Pruning
Fall is not the time to prune, except for light pruning if needed. Pruning pushes out new growth, which doesn’t have time to harden off and can lead to winter dieback. But prune out the dead/diseased/dying/damaged wood (a perfect harboring place for pests and diseases) or anything that needs stabilizing (i.e., long branches that could get whipped around in the winter wind).
7. Get the Houseplants Inside
If you haven’t already, get the tropicals inside. Tropicals won’t show immediate damage unless exposed to frost or freeze. However, extended exposure to temperatures in the 40s can lower their resistance to pests and disease. Have them acclimated indoors when experiencing consistent nighttime temperatures in the upper 40s. Here’s how to migrate houseplants back indoors.
8. A Final Review
Looking back at the year, how did your garden do? What worked and what didn’t? Were some things fabulous, but impractical? What about those shade trees you planted years ago that are finally shading the house… And now maybe the full-sun perennial beds? Gardens are not static. They’re organic, evolving spaces, which intrigues those of us who garden to make plans for next year.
Last-Minute Items
- Clean and store outdoor containers. Here’s how to store your outdoor pots for the winter. But if you’re still feeling creative, here’s how to do some winter container gardening.
- Clean out bird feeders and birdhouses. Use a little soap and warm water, and rinse well, allowing feeders to dry completely. This will help reduce potential diseases passed between birds. FYI: Most bird feeders are designed to be taken apart, cleaned, and reassembled easily.
- Clean, sharpen, and store your garden tools.
