What do I do with my garden in October?

Author: Trever Hermiston  |  Last update: Wednesday, December 27, 2023

October is an ideal time to plant deciduous trees, shrubs, and roses: The cool weather encourages plants to root quickly and the soil is generally easier to work since it's not as cold and mucky as it can be in the spring.

How do you take care of a garden in October?

Continue to withhold water from both evergreen and deciduous trees in the first part of October, which will help prepare them for winter. Resume watering late in October, after the deciduous trees have dropped their leaves. In zones four and five, plant spring bulbs. Continue to divide perennials as needed.

What should I cut back in October?

October pruning of trees, shrubs and climbers
  • Santolina (after flowering) Remove the faded flower-heads along with any straggly shoots in autumn. ...
  • Betula (birch) ...
  • Carpinus (hornbeam) ...
  • Gleditsia (honey locust) ...
  • Juglans (walnut) ...
  • Laburnum (golden rain) ...
  • Liriodendron (tulip tree) ...
  • Malus (crab apple)

What should I do to my garden beds in the fall?

10 Fall Tasks for Raised Garden Beds
  1. Clean up old plants. ...
  2. Plant a cover crop. ...
  3. Add compost to your beds. ...
  4. Plant garlic. ...
  5. Wait until the first frost to harvest Brussels sprouts and kale. ...
  6. Mulch exposed soil. ...
  7. Inspect and repair damaged boards and corners. ...
  8. Add cloches or cold frames.

How do I prepare my garden for fall winter?

10 Ways to Prepare Your Garden for Winter
  1. Clean up diseased plants. Leave the rest in place. ...
  2. Remove invasive weeds that may have taken hold over the growing season. ...
  3. Amend your soil for spring. ...
  4. Plant cover crops. ...
  5. Prune perennials with care. ...
  6. Divide and plant bulbs. ...
  7. Harvest and regenerate your compost. ...
  8. Replenish mulch.

Jobs to do in your garden in October!

When should I cut down my garden in the fall?

Q: When is the best time to cut back in the fall? A: “When they start to look too ratty for you and before the fresh new growth begins,” says Sarah. For plants that are frost-sensitive, wait until after the plants have gone through several hard frosts to ensure they're dormant before cutting back.

Should you cut back your garden in the fall?

It's important to cut back foliage in the fall to protect flowering plants from disease and give them a clean start for regrowth as winter starts to turn into spring. However, there are some plants you can keep around through the winter since they benefit wildlife and still offer visual interest for your home.

How do I transition my garden from summer to fall?

A guide to transitioning your garden from summer to fall
  1. Remove annuals and plant new ones.
  2. Inspect your perennials.
  3. Add some mulch.
  4. Look for diseases and protect your plants.
  5. Outdoor plants should now be indoors.
  6. Consider a vegetable garden.

How do I enrich my garden soil in the fall?

Compost, a crumbly soil-like material, is alive with worms and beneficial fungi and bacteria. It enriches soils, provides nutrients and increases the soil's ability to hold moisture. Several inches of compost can be piled on top of vegetable beds in autumn. Worms and other organisms will slowly work it into the soil.

What can I do with my vegetable garden in the fall?

Soil testing, removing plant material and adding organic mulches, compost and cover crops are all smart gardening techniques for fall cleanup. Use shredded leaves raked from your lawn to cover vegetable gardens or beds.

What should you not cut back in the fall?

Also, do not cut back hardy perennials like garden mums (Chrysanthemum spp.), anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), red-hot poker (Kniphofia uvaria), and Montauk daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum). Leave the foliage. It's important to protect the root crowns over winter.

What should you not cut back in autumn?

By not cutting back the statuesque achilleas, eryngiums, perennial astilbes, sedums, alliums and many ornamental grasses, you can enjoy their structure against a winter sky. The sight of their stems silvered with frost adds a whole new level of interest to the garden.

What plants and flowers do you cut back in the fall?

Plants To Cut Back In Fall:
  • Bearded Iris.
  • Bee Balm (Monarda)
  • Phlox.
  • Lilies.
  • Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
  • Catmint (Nepeta)
  • Columbine (Aquilegia)
  • Daylily (Hemerocallis)

Should I water my garden in October?

You can still expect some warm weather during October, so keep watering the garden until the fall and winter rains begin. As temperatures drop, less water is needed for plants. Check your soil periodically by digging gently into the soil next to the root, about 6 inches down (deeper for bigger plants).

Should I prep my garden in the fall or spring?

Fall is the best time to start a new garden.

Consider adding some lyme or fertilizer based on a soil test of your new spot to make sure spring starts off on the right foot.

Should I add fertilizer to my garden in the fall?

Fall Feeding for Fertile Fields Fall Fertilization of your shrubs, garden and plants leads to a beautiful, healthy spring garden — it's the ideal time for feeding if you do it right.

Should I put manure on my garden in the fall?

On other edible crops, fresh manure applications should be made at least three months prior to harvest. With just a four month or so growing season, this means you should only apply fresh manure in the fall; not in the spring or during the growing season to any area that is or will be planted with food crops.

Should I put top soil down in the fall?

A constant, fresh supply of organic matter is necessary to keep it growing healthy. While routinely adding an extra layer of topsoil to your lawn can be helpful, fall is the most opportune time to do so. This is because the winter can be a particularly difficult time for the plant life on your property.

Should I pull up my garden before winter?

Leaving the garden intact for the winter means you'll get a jump start on controlling pests in the spring. Skipping a fall gardening clean up is one important way to help these beneficial insects. Ladybug larvae, such as this one, are voracious predators of many garden pests, including the aphids in this photo.

Which perennials should not be cut back in fall?

What Not to Cut Back This Fall
  • Azaleas: prune these once they're past flower, but before the fourth of July.
  • Rose of Sharon: likes to be left alone for the coming winter and instead cleaned up in the early spring.
  • Lavender: Wait until March!

Should hostas be cut back for winter?

But when should hostas be cut back? Hostas should be cut back in late fall. Healthy hosta leaves can be left on the plant in early fall to capture much-needed energy, but all leaves should be trimmed off after the first frost to deter slugs and other pests from making your hosta their winter home.

What plants should you not cut back for winter?

Plants You Should Never Prune In The Winter
  • To Shear or Not to Shear?
  • Summer Flowering Shrubs.
  • Lilacs.
  • Clematis.
  • Jasmine.
  • Honeysuckle.
  • Rosemary.
  • Lavender.

What plants need to be cut back for winter?

Plants You Should Always Prune in Winter
  • 01 of 09. Abelia. Eve Livesey/Getty Images. ...
  • 02 of 09. Beautyberry. igaguri_1/Getty Images. ...
  • 03 of 09. Butterfly Bush. Zen Rial/Getty Images. ...
  • 04 of 09. Cape Plumbago. hanamirae/Getty Images. ...
  • 05 of 09. Crepe Myrtle. ...
  • 06 of 09. Lantana. ...
  • 07 of 09. Roses. ...
  • 08 of 09. Some Hydrangeas.

Do I cut back hostas in the fall?

As a general rule, hostas should be cut back in the late fall. Start with leaves that have wilted or turned brown. Healthy leaves can stay a bit longer to help the roots store needed energy. If 25% or more of the hostas is dying, you will know it is time to cut it back.

What herbs do you cut back in the fall?

When it comes to evergreen herbs, which include rosemary, thyme, and sage, you only need to prune about once a year, either in early spring or fall. The three fastest growing herbs are mint, basil, and dill.

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