Fall is slowly making it’s presence know with cooler evening temperatures, shorter days, and the beginnings of fall color. Autumn is a great time to do some cleanup in your garden and get it ready for spring. Below you can find some helpful gardening tips for October.
Last of the Harvest
Your garden is probably starting to shows signs of the end of it’s annual life, but hopefully you’ve had a bountiful harvest this season! If the hard shell develops enough on your pumpkins and winter squashes you should be able to store them for several months in a cool dark place. Green tomatoes can be ripened in a cardboard box or paper bag, so make sure to harvest them all before the first freeze.
Gardening Tips for October: Fall Planting
Continue planting your spring flowering bulbs until the ground freezes. Divide your perennials if you haven’t done so already, and plant any new shrubs/trees while the ground is still soft. Also make sure to keep watering any new plants until the ground freezes.
Tucking in for Winter
Fall is also the perfect time to mulch. Surround your plants with 2-3 inches of mulch/soil conditioner to protect your plants from the cold, help retain moisture, and prevent new weeds from sprouting. Just make sure you don’t actually cover any of your plants and block them from air and sunshine—this could cause them to rot. To learn more about the importance of mulch in the garden, check out this video from Moana Nursery in Reno:
I hope these gardening tips for October help you check some things off your to-do list. For additional Northern Nevada planting resources, be sure to check out some of our local nurseries. One of my favorites is Greenhouse Garden Center in Carson City.
P.S. Did you miss September’s gardening tips? If so, you can click here to get caught up!
