OCTOBER GARDEN "TO DO" LIST
GENERAL GARDEN CARE
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CONTINUE to get that ONE inch of water a week on your perennials, flowers, shrubs and trees, especially if they are newly transplanted. GRAB YOUR HOSE!
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Apply anti-transpirants to your broad-leaved evergreens that are located in windy areas. This will slow down water loss through the needles. They may also be wrapped in burlap.
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You may want to wrap your young trees and shrubs in poultry wired or hardware cloth to protect them from rabbits and vole damage.
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Winterize aquatic gardens.
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Save shredded leaves for mulching in November.
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Clean birdbaths.
ANNUAL AND PERENNIALS:
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The end of fall, what a great season this was! Make notes of what you did well and what you want to improve on.
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Clean up your plant debris from the garden or you may want to consider leave some plant remnants for winter interest. It does provide food for wildlife.
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Continue to add to the compost pile with shredded leaves. Till compost.
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NOT TOO LATE TO PLANT SPRING BULBS! Plant until the ground freezes.
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A few weeks after a killing frost, lift and store your dahlias and cannas.
LAWN CARE
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Continue mowing @ 2 inches until the grass is dormant.
FRUIT, VEGETABLE, AND HERB CARE
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Plant your seed GARLIC.
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Plant your MILKWEED.
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Harvest PUMPKINS before a frost.
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Ripen GREEN TOMATOES
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Save only mature green tomatoes.
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Place tomatoes in a cardboard box lined with newspaper, leave a little space between the fruit for air circulation. Cover with newspaper. Repeat second and third layer covering each with newspaper. Cover box.
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Store at 70-80 degrees to ripen in about two weeks.
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Store at 60-70 degrees and 50-60 degrees for successive ripening.
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A Banana in the box will turn the tomatoes red quicker due to the natural ethylene in banana’s to speed up the ripening.
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INDOOR GARDEN
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Grow Micro greens and sprouts for your winter indoor garden. https://www.farmanddairy.com/top-stories/two-superfoods-grow-indoors-cool-weather/221572.html
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Acclimate plants indoors and rescue some favorites from the frost.
HINTS:
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Best time to do a soil test is September through December. https://extension.illinois.edu/soiltest/
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Soilless mix from containers can be discarded or kept aside for one more year. If used again, mix equal parts of old and new mix.
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Clean ceramic, cement, terra cotta containers and store in frost free space.
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/homeowners/041009.html