Things to do in the flower garden for October

In the flower garden:

• Finish planting spring-flowering bulbs except tulips.
• Wait another two wees to begin planting tulips.
• Shred fallen hardwood leaves and use for mulch.
• Finish planting, transplanting spring and summer-fowering perennials.
• Order dormant roses, lily bulbs for November planting.

In the food garden:

• Harvest Brussels sprouts from the bottom up.
• Plant radishes for Thanksgiving dinner.
• Leave leeks, carrots, beets, spinach in the garden for harvest as needed.
• Wait until after frost sweetens kale, parsnips to begin harvest.
• Bundle spent corn stalks for Halloween decoration.

In the house:

• Deprive poinsettias, holiday cactus of all light from sundown to sunup.
• Make succession plantings of paper white narcissus.
• Allow amaryllis to go dormant.
• Water succulents only every three to four weeks, just enough to keep them from shriveling.
• Pinch back leggy vines for fuller grownth.

On the lawn:

• Keep leaves raked from grass.
• Continue mowing until growth stops.
• Treat germinating checkweed with a selective herbicide.
• Lime any time between now and spring.
• Fertilize if none has been spread since September.

Planting Bulbs

October is a great time to plant spring-flowering bulbs. The soil temperatures in early fall are ideal for good root development. With a little planning and effort this fall you can be enjoying their cheery bloosoms next spring. A soil temperature of 60 degrees is ideal. To learn more on how to plant bulbs correctly...

Planting Tulips

Tulips prefer part to full sun. Soil should be well aerated and well drained, sightly acidic., and cultivated to a depth of 8-12 inches. These spring favorites require a cool period of dormancy before they'll bloom. In colder Northern climates, plant bulbs in October and let Mother Nature take care of the cooling. In the South, provide the cooling period by placing bulbs in a refrigerator at 40-45 F for 6-8 weeks (or up to 16 weeks if necessary) and plant them by early January. When planting tulip bulbs, make the job easier by digging trenches. Space bulbs 3-6" apart, depending on the desired effect.