garden Borders and beyond
Fall is in the air...
Hello autumn! The daylight is waning, and there is a distinct chill in the air in the evenings as we welcome fall. The sun is no longer as piercingly bright during the day, and the crisp sunny days are punctuated by more frequent spells of wet weather.
The main actors on stage in the garden theater this month are the panicle hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, Japanese anemones, sedums, Russian sage and ornamental grasses. Zinnias, cosmos and dahlias will continue to flower if you have been deadheading the faded blooms all summer long, though not as floriferously, as they do prefer the heat; however, they will plod on with a display till the first frost.
This is a good time to assess your garden and think about lifting and dividing herbaceous perennials this month, or wait till spring. The soil will be warm enough for plants to put down root growth until the cold weather really hits. The only exceptions are ornamental grasses which do not do well if you try to divide them now. Leave them until you see a flush of new growth in the spring before you dig and divide.
October is perfect for planting bulbs for spring/summer color, such as crocuses, snowdrops, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths or ornamental onions. Fall is also a good month to move and transplant shrubs or trees once their leaves have dropped and have gone into dormancy. Consider leaving seedheads of flowering perennials up and not cleaning up too much plant debris to help wildlife overwinter.
Continue to keep up with the weeding, and mulch to protect plants that may be marginally hardy in your garden in case of a particularly cold winter spell.
in the vegetable patch
Putting the vegetable garden to bed..or not
This is the month to think about putting in your garlic bulbs, onion sets and planting fava beans to overwinter. All vegetation in the vegetable beds should be cleared to prevent harboring disease, and a layer of mulch such as compost can protect the bare soil from the winter rains and from weeds taking hold.
There is still time to sow a winter cover crop to improve the soil for next year’s crops. For those who are interested in gardening year-round, this is the month to put up some protection from the rains and cold for your baby greens, such as a row cover or a cloche. Carrots and beets can be left in the ground. They sweeten up with frost, but keep them covered with straw or leaves to protect them over a mild winter. If there is a prediction for extreme cold and prolonged wet like the one we experienced last winter, make sure to dig them up before the extreme weather hits to prevent them from rotting.
For a detailed planting calendar, please refer to:
- Seattle Tilth's "The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide" book
- Oregon Tilth planting calendar
- Oregon extension service 's monthly calendar
- Washington State University extension service's information
Joy of Giving Tree Raffle
Purchase tickets to win over $2,000 worth of gift certificates and coupons! Drawing to be held Nov. 23, don't need to be present to win. Support local scholarships and other programs.