Gardening Tips for October

Gardening in October is entirely dependent on the weather. If there's an Indian Summer, there is no better time of year to be out in the garden. While gardeners in warm areas will have more to do than their northern counterparts, there are plenty of garden tasks to keep everyone busy in October.

General October Garden Chores

 Get your soil tested and add amendments as needed.  Amend your soil with a dressing of compost  Turn your compost pile.  Use your garden debris and leaves to start a new compost pile.  Plant trees and shrubs. Be sure to keep them well-watered, even through the winter (snow permitting).  Make sure all vacationing houseplants are brought back inside.  Continue planting garlic.  Plant cool season annuals. Covering mums and asters on nights when a frost is expected, will lengthen their blooming.  Clear away dead foliage.  Dry and save seed.  Take cuttings of tender perennials.  Harvest and dry or freeze herbs for winter use.  Remove green tomatoes from the plants. Either ripen in a brown paper bag or lift the entire plant and hang upside down in a warm spot, to ripen.  Harvest winter squash once the vines die back, but definitely before a hard freeze.  Continue harvesting fall crops like beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale and leeks.  Clean and put away empty containers and garden ornaments.  Clean and sharpen gardening tools.

 Continue winterizing your water garden  Clean bird feeders.  Think about a de-icer for the birdbath. If you're in an area that freezes and you don't have a de-icer, turn your birdbath over to keep it from cracking.  Enjoy the season. Show off your harvest with a fall display.  Then start thinking about putting your garden to bed.  Keep planting perennials.  Make sure plants receive enough water, especially transplants and winter and spring bloomers.  Plant a cover crop in the vegetable garden.  Harvest sweet potatoes before a frost. Indoor Plants Garden Chores

 House plants start to slow down as the days get shorter. Cut back on watering and feeding until next spring. Winter feeding will result in weak growth.  Plan for Christmas blooms on your poinsettia and Christmas cacti. Move both plants so that they are in temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees F. Make sure the Christmas cacti get at least 13 hours of complete darkness at night. Poinsettia will need about 15 hours in the dark. For most of us, this will mean covering the plants themselves. When uncovered, place in bright light. Provide them with water and a general purpose fertilizer.

In Celebration of Alabama’s 200th birthday, we encourage everyone to plant trees or plants that are from our native area! Native Plants for Alabama

Common Name Family Genus

Acalypha gracilens Slender Three Seed Mercury; EUPHORBIACEAE Short Stalk Copperleaf Acalypha Common Three Seed EUPHORBIACEAE rhomboidea Mercury; Common Copperleaf; Rhombic Copperleaf

Acer leucoderme Chalk Maple; Pale Maple ACERACEAE Acer negundo Box Elder; Ash Leaf Maple ACERACEAE Acer rubrum var. Drummond's Maple; Swamp ACERACEAE drummondii Red Maple Acer rubrum var. Red Maple ACERACEAE rubrum Acer saccharum Sugar Maple ACERACEAE Acmella repens Creeping Spotflower; ASTERACEAE Opposite Leaf Spotflower Actaea racemosa Common Black Cohosh; Early RANUNCULACEAE Black Cohosh; Black Bugbane Adiantum capillus- Southern Maidenhair Fern; PTERIDACEAE veneris Venus' Hair Fern Adiantum pedatum Northern Maidenhair Fern PTERIDACEAE Common Maidenhair Fern; American Maidenhair Aesculus parviflora Bottlebrush Buckeye HIPPOCASTANACEAE Aesculus pavia Red Buckeye HIPPOCASTANACEAE Agalinis decemloba Ten Lobe False Foxglove OROBANCHACEAE Agalinis purpurea Purple False Foxglove; Large OROBANCHACEAE Purple Gerardia Agalinis tenuifolia Slender Leaf False Foxglove OROBANCHACEAE var. tenuifolia Ageratina altissima Common White Snakeroot; ASTERACEAE Common Milk Poison Ageratina aromatica Lesser Snakeroot; Small Leaf ASTERACEAE White Snakeroot; Wild Hoarhound Agrimonia Low Agrimony; Small Fruit ROSACEAE microcarpa Groovebur; Small Fruit Agrimony Agrimonia rostellata Woodland Agrimony; Beaked ROSACEAE Agrimony; Beaked Groovebur Agrostis elliottiana Elliott's Bentgrass; Southern POACEAE Bentgrass; Elliott's Bent Agrostis perennans Autumn Bentgrass; Upland POACEAE Bent; Autumn Bent Ajuga reptans Carpet Bugle; Bugleweed; Blue LAMIACEAE Bugle Albizia julibrissin Silktree; Mimosa FABACEAE Alisma American Water Plantain; ALISMATACEAE subcordatum Southern Water Plantain