October Gardening Chores in the Piedmont

Now that the heat and humidity is in our rear view mirror here in the South it is time to start planning/planting for your fall and winter gardens.  For me, this brings about a feeling of excitement similar to that of my spring gardening enthusiasm;  however, I don’t feel that same sense of urgency and can go about this with a little more ease.  After an extremely busy summer in Tess’ Till-less Garden, let me just say, ‘ease’ is a welcomed change.

October To-Do’s

• Bring zonal geraniums and vacationing houseplants indoors before the first frost.  It is always a good idea to clean the pot, as well as the plant before bringing inside so that you do not have any unwanted critters in your home.
• Thin the radishes, carrots, and turnips you sowed last month; then sprinkle the bed with 1 inch of compost.
• Dig up sweet potatoes before winter rains cause them to split and rot.  Be sure to harvest them before the first frost.
• Harvest gourds, pumpkins and winter squash before the first frost.
• Set out garlic cloves (for harvesting in late summer) and continue to plant onions thru mid-November.
• Chives, coriander (cilantro), dill and parsley can be direct-sown in the fall in the milder areas of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.  Did you know that chives and parsley taste best in cool weather?
• You can also divide chives, thyme, mint and tarragon when new growth emerges if you are a Piedmont or Coastal gardener.
• Sow late spinach to overwinter; it will resume growing in spring.
• Clean up the blueberry patch: Prune broken or diseased limbs, and thicken the mulch with a layer of pine needles or shredded oak leaves.

 Be mindful of frost warnings this month and have your materials  ready for covering tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and other tender vegetables that are still producing for you.  Experience has proven that it normally warms up once again after the first frost so if you have protected your ‘babies’ they will continue to bless you with their bounty for several more weeks.

IF you are unable to protect your plants be sure to harvest any produce prior to a frost or frost damage.  Once you can no longer protect your plants and/or they are no longer producing, thank them for their wonderful bounty, pull them up and add them to your compost heap UNLESS you have been fighting insects or disease.  If you have been plagued with disease and insects (like many of us have this summer) I highly recommend that you put your diseased plants in your yard waste recycle bin, with a cover, and discard them.  Also, IF you have been plagued with insects that may overwinter, spade or turn the soil over to expose them to the cold in hopes of eliminating them.

And…there you have it…your October ‘To-Do’ list for your garden..now, get out there, enjoy these beautiful fall days and “get ‘er done”!!!  Happy Fall, Y’all!!!