October Gardening Tips

Plant balled and burlapped trees and shrubs now.  Make sure you unwrap top portion of the burlap.

Transplant trees and shrubs.

Fertilize trees and shrubs with 10-10-10 fertilizer.

Make sure that watering is continued at 1 inch a week.

October is the month to plant winter flowers: pansies, snapdragons, decorative kale and cabbage.

Begin thinking about potting up some of your herbs so you can enjoy them all winter. Someof these include: parsley, thyme, basil and tarragon.
 
Last year my chives were fine outside all winter. How delicious to cut fresh chives and add them to your baked potato-fresh in January.

Cut herbs can be frozen in ice cubes.  When completely frozen put them in a plastic bag. Then they will be ready to add to stews, soups, sauces or even used as garnishes.

Dig and store bulbs that are tropical in nature and will not stand the cooler weather of winter.

If you have space, plant spinach now and you know it will be safe to eat.

Now is a great time to replace or add perennials.  Just make sure you are planting the right plant in the right spot. Check for water needs (we have lots of wet areas), sun or shade needs and acidic, neutral or alkaline.
 
Also, you can use your own garden to create a new one by dividing perennials, such as:
      perennial phlox, cannas, daylilies, violets, Shasta daisies and lilies.

Don’t have any room left in your garden? Share or swap with a neighbor. They may just thank you.