Here are the things you need to do gardening in October:
- Plant tulips before frost sets in.
- Select early to late blooming varieties for a long span of bloom.
- Buy only quality bulbs and check for signs of disease before planting.
- Prevent a build-up of soil-borne diseases by setting the bulbs where tulips have not grown for the past two years.
- Mix bone meal or well-decayed manure into the bed and plant bulbs in groups of six or more for effective display.
- Also, set out other spring-blooming bulbs now; they need to grow roots before the ground freezes—mulch late-planted bulbs.
After a severe frost, do the following:
- Clean rose beds and give bushes a final fungicidal spray.
- Hill up the canes with 8” to 10” inches of soil and add a layer of straw to prevent soil erosion in heavy winter rains.
Upon Arrival
Plant lily bulbs upon arrival.
Add peat moss or well-decayed compost if the soil is too heavy or too sandy.
Prepare the soil deeply; choose a sunny, well-drained location.
Snip dahlia tops when frost kills them, allowing several days for stalks to bleed before digging their tubers.
To dig, encircle the entire clump with a garden fork and lift it carefully.
Allow a day for the clumps to dry, then remove loose soil and stack roots in flat boxes lined with plastic or waterproof paper.
Cover each layer of roots with vermiculite, then fold the lining over the box top and set it in a cool but frost-free location.
Harvest pumpkins and fall squash before they are fully ripe and before frost.
Cure for 10 days at a high temperature of 80° degrees Fahrenheit and place in cool, dry storage.
As October draws to a close, sow seeds of hardy annuals, such as:
- Four-o’clock
- Cosmos
- California poppy
- Morning-glory
- Lychnis
- Larkspur
- Cornflower
- Calendula
44659 by Rose Ross