Fall has finally arrived, and with it, much welcome rain. The parched and brown lawns of the summer are starting to green up once more. As nighttime temperatures drop into the 40s, we are starting to see fall colors showing in the trees and shrubs. This is our final garden tips write-up as the growing season winds down for the year. See you all again in March!
garden Borders and beyond
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.
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.
Continue to keep up with the weeding, mulch to protect plants that may be marginally hardy in your garden, in case of a particularly cold winter spell.
in the vegetable patch
Enjoy the bountiful harvest from your garden
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.
As the weather turns cool and daylight shortens, summer-planted radicchio, escarole, carrots, beets and spinach are at their peak. Harvest the leafy greens before the first frost.
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, 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
AGC's Holiday Garden Art & Crafts - Nov. 22
Members are busy getting ready! Features unique craft items made by us, as well as local vendors. Gleneagle Country Club.