October is here and it’s time to start checking off fall garden projects before the cold weather really hits.
Some of you may have been hit by frost last week but for those of you who weren’t, it’s time to clear the vegetable garden. The temperature and light levels are now too low for remaining fruits and vegetables to ripen. In a recent article, I talked about how to ripen tomatoes off the vine so look that up for details.
Once the vegetable garden is pulled out, fall is a good time to add compost and manure to beds for the next growing season. This is especially important if you add fresh manures to the patch as it gives the manure a chance to age through the winter.
While you are at it, pull as many weeds throughout your gardens as you can to cut down your spring work load. Cover the bare areas with 2 to 3 inches of shredded leaves or pine needles to prevent light from getting to the weed seeds in the spring.
Mulch new plantings with needles and leaves to prevent frost heaving and to keep deer from pulling the new plants out of the soil to taste them. The little buggers will try anything once.
October is the best time to plant flower bulbs and garlic. To take the work out of planting flowers bulbs, a bulb auger that attaches to a battery-operated drill punches holes in the soil. Just drop your bulbs in and cover them back up. If you want to plant a patch of bulbs, dig the area to the proper depth and then set the bulbs at their preferred spacing and back full the hole. As you back fill, layer smaller bulbs on the soil as you go. This will create an interesting display come spring.
Garlic prefers rich, fertile soil full of organic material. I plant mine in straight compost and usually get 3-inch -wide bulbs at harvest. Dig a furrow about 3 inches deep and place the garlic cloves pointed end up, 4 to 5 inches apart. Back fill the row and cover it with 3 inches of shredded leaves, needles or wheat straw to protect the cloves from repeated freezing and thawing. In the spring gently pull the mulch away from the green shoots. Leave the mulch in place to prevent weed growth.
Drain hoses, bring in bib timers and blow out sprinkler systems. There is nothing more frustrating than turning the water on in the spring and finding expensive fountains erupt all over the garden. Finding and digging up leaks takes a lot of time away from the rest of your spring startup chores. Be sure to shake excess water out of timers to protect the mechanisms from freezing. Each timer that isn’t drained is a $40 mistake that can add up.
Last but not least, take some time to enjoy the fall colors, bright sunlight and cool temperatures before it all turns white.
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