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 October Gardening Tips
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October Gardening Tips
by Leonard Perry
October conjures up images of carved pumpkins, colorful foliage, hay rides, and apple cider making. But with all these autumn "treats" to behold, gardeners shouldn't be tricked into thinking that they can hang up their gardening tools. There are still several chores to be done this month.
Garden clean-up tops the list. After plants have stopped producing, remove vines, corn stalks, and other plant debris along with stakes, string, black plastic mulch, and other man-made objects.
Compost healthy plant materials or leave in the garden to be plowed back into the soil.
Lime the garden, according to soil test results. Kits for soil sampling are available from all University of Vermont Extension offices.
If you have compost that's ready to use, apply a one- to two-inch layer to the garden to form a rich blanket of humus.
You also might want to cover crop your plot to help prevent erosion and leaching and keep your garden healthy year-round. The tops of cover crops, when turned back into the soil, act as "green manure," thus adding to the soil's supply of organic matter.
Winter rye is the most commonly used winter cover crop as it's relatively inexpensive, grows aggressively, and is winter hardy. It can be sown up until mid-October.
If you have leftover vegetable and annual flower seeds, save them for next year by storing them in securely closed, insect-proof containers. Screw-top glass jars, vitamin containers, or jars with lids with rubber gaskets all work well. Store at 35 degrees to 41 degrees F, and keep as dry as possible as moisture is an enemy of stored seed. Label each container with the plant name, date of purchase or collection, and the year.
Late autumn is a good time to fertilize shade trees. Although they may appear dormant as leaves turn color and drop, their roots - 80 percent of which are within the top foot of soil - are still full of life.
The most effective, and easiest, means of applying fertilizer is to surface broadcast applications of readily-soluble or slow release, high nitrogen fertilizer (without herbicides) over the entire root zone. Follow the manufacturer's recommended application rate stated on the bag.
Continue to mow your lawn as long as the grass keeps growing. Lower the blade height towards the end of the season. Cutting your grass short is key to preventing fall diseases and winter snow mold next spring.
Rake leaves that have matted, or chop into mulch with your lawn mower. Compost leaves instead of burning them or bagging them for the landfill.
Towards the end of the month, give your evergreens one last good soaking. If they go into the winter well-watered, they'll be better prepared to combat drying winter winds when the ground is frozen.
Leonard Perry writes from the University of Vermont Extension System in Burlington, Vt.
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