October; In the Garden

It's time to plant tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, and crocus. Spring bulbs are the glory of the early months, bursting through the still-cool earth with profusion of brilliant color. Just what our hungry eyes need after the long, bleak winter. Each type of bulb requires it's own depth, generally about three times the depth of it's diameter. They should come with directions for how deep you should dig. They have a pointy side, which should face upward.

They're not too picky about where you plant them, only avoid the hottest parts with the southern-most exposure, and the northern-most areas where they'll get no sun at all. Mulching isn't a bad idea, just be sure to remove it come spring, or your growth will be slowed. Give them a bit of compost when planting, they'll love you for it.

Watch out for squirrels, they love some bulbs. They don't, however, like cayenne pepper sprays. After the blooms are spent, allow the plants to die back, resist the urge to clip the yellowing foliage. The nutrients are returning to the bulb for next year's show.

I like to get the most for my money by purchasing bulbs that naturalize. Muscari and squill will do this nicely, as well as being the first to bloom, often through snow drifts! It's wonderful! Some narcissus varieties and even a few tulips will naturalize, as well as some crocus. Peruse through your bulb catalogues and see what you can discover for next year's garden.

Oh yes! Most of us enjoy cooking with it, but don't realize how easy it is to grow. Remember, it's in the onion family (allium), and with all the cloves in one single bulb, it is a self-sustaining crop. Traditionally, it is planted on the shortest day of the year. Up here, in the North, we must plant it soon after the first major frost. This is usually around the middle of October to the middle of November. Garlic is winter hardy if mulched during harsh temperatures. Shoots should emerge early in the spring.

It's a great companion plant for almost any other plant, especially roses. It's virtually pest-free, even pest-resistant. The most important thing is not to let them get too wet. It's recommended that you trim the tall, curled scape (pictured above) while still young and green. The reason given for this is that it will make the bulb woody. There are gardeners, however, that dispute this. Whichever you choose, the scapes are mighty tasty, and you may wish to take them into your kitchen for the sheer culinary pleasure!

The leaves will begin to brown and die away when it's time to harvest. You'll want to hang it in a cool, dry place so that it doesn't rot. After a couple of weeks they're simply brushed clean, never washed.

Gladiolus are easy to grow, with one exception; they must be brought back in for the winter. They are not hardy in our harsh zone. There's no exception with these, you'll lose them if you leave them. No need to buy more next year if you get out and dig'em up.

They're actually a corm, and not a bulb. Once you've brought them back out of the ground, after the first frost has done away with the foliage, shake off the soil. You'll find that, while one corm went in, more come out. Go ahead and separate them, those are babies. Keep the babies and toss the old ones. Don't mess with the husks, they need to stay in tact.

The new, dusted-off corms can be kept in a paper bag, a cloth bag, or - like grandma used to do - in pantyhose. Keep them in a dark, cool, airy place that's about 35°- 45°F.

When you plant them again next spring, they like it sunny and moist.

Pelargoniums, otherwise known as geraniums, are the ubiquitous balcony flower. Not a real geranium, they've reached their popular status for good reason. They're easy, bright, and long-lived. I even give them points for nostalgia. I love how old-fashioned they are. An old, red geranium growing in a weathered terra cotta flower pot on the patio table is a fine picture of a lazy summer's day.

Did you know that this is a tender evergreen? Indeed, you can keep these plants for years and years! Note that a true geranium is a hardy herbaceous perennial. I don't know how they got their names mixed up, but they're ever-known as geraniums! C'est la vie.

Bring yours inside and reduce their watering. They like it a bit dry, but wintertime is a semi-dormancy. They'll need it even dryer, but not quite like the dessert. It takes a lot to kill a geranium... pelargonium, whatever.

Walk along your garden and take note of what you wish to save. Harvest the seeds you need and label them clearly with the year and the name. Share your bounty with fellow gardeners. Keep them in paper envelopes, never in baggies. They need to have circulation. Some seeds can be scattered about now, others you'll save for next spring.

Do you have plants that need dividing? How long has it been since you pulled up those hostas? How about the siberian iris? Need I ask about the peonies? I know what my answers are. It's time I get my hand good and dirty.

I know just where I want to put more hostas. I have just the place to spread my peonies. I don't know what to do with more siberian iris, but it's time I look into that. I'll be asking friends and family if they're desiring an easy, no-care perennial.

If you don't get all your dividing done in the fall, don't worry. Spring is another good time to do this. Only, you already have so much to do in the spring! Then again, that's when you actually want to be doing it.

Other plants that may need dividing:

Bleeding Heart

Columbine

Coral Bells

Geranium

Sedum

Artemesia

Yarrow

Asters

Bee Balm

Black-Eyed Susan

Campanula

Coneflower

Daisy

Day lily

Phlox

Monkshood

Astilbes

Lily-of-the-Valley

Rhubarb

To keep your raspberries healthy, manageable, and fruit-bearing, they must be pruned. They need light and even air to keep disease at bay.

There are only two kinds. Summer-fruiting and Autumn-fruiting (also called ever-bearing). Regardless of which kind you have (it's okay if you don't know, most people don't), trim off the canes that have already given you fruit down to about 12 - 18 inches. You can tell which canes gave fruit, the little fruit stems will still be found on the canes.

Follow this same rule for blackberries, boysenberries, and loganberries.

Carrots are hardy and like the cool weather. Here in zone 4 ,the best time to harvest your carrots, if you intend to process them, is from September 15 until October 25. These late carrots are better "keepers" than their summer-harvested kin. You can store them at about 32°-34°F for up to 7 - 9 months. That'll get you through the winter! They like it on the humid side, without it they wilt. Don't keep near apple, pears, or potatoes, as the ethylene gasses which the fruit emit will cause the carrots to taste bitter.

(See University of Minnesota Extention Service and Carrot Museum)

If you're one to bring your indoor plants outside for the warmer season, you've most likely brought them back indoors by now. If not, here's a gentle reminder. Most indoor plants are from jungles and will not tolerate a hard freeze. As much as they love the fresh rainwater and dappled summer sunlight, they won't appreciate our cooler weather.

Check them for pests and clean them from debris. Reacquaint yourself with their winter care, if you find it helpful. I know I do. I never can remember one from the other at the different times of the year. Oftentimes they need less water, and sometimes less light.

It hardly needs mentioning. However, it is great exercise, and it gets us out of doors for a spell. We never regret it afterward, only beforehand. We just need a little nudge.

I speak for your compost, too. If you haven't started one, a pile of leaves is the best and easiest time to begin. Throughout the winter, just toss your vegetable scraps and eggshells into it. If you recycle, as well, you'll likely find yourself down to one bag of trash each week. As a family of six, we have only one bin, and that's not always full. Next spring, give your new pile a quick turn and see what you find underneath. Good, black humus, ready to feed your garden. And just wait until next spring!

We know what a problem this can cause. We have gutters to avoid this, so we need to get up there and maintain them. Whether you clean them in the spring, in the fall, or both, it's a good time of the year to get yourself up there and check on them. The spring rains can come hard and fast, we need to be prepared.

Know what's in your garden. Make for yourself a map. How often do you find yourself walking along your mid-spring garden, admiring the beauty of all your effort and the new year's growth, when you come across,...well, you don't remember for the life of you. I can't count how many times I've done this to myself. Some years I'm good about mapping, others, not so much. Let me say that I appreciate the years that I've been vigilant. It can pay off for years to come, you might be surprised.

Winter is hard on our tiny feathered friends. Can you just imagine? Leave the bird houses out, they use them for shelter in storms and very cold weather. Only clean them out. Finding shelter is hard. If you opt for a real Christmas tree, consider putting it out back, after the season, for the birds to refuge in through the remaining winter.

Birds need more food in the wintertime, energy-rich foods to keep warm. Keep suet for them, which is economical and helpful. Place feeders, full of safflower and oil sunflower seed, out of the wind. Peanuts are another good source of high-energy food for the surviving birds.

Consider a heated birdbath, you'll be the most popular home in town. Birds get thirsty when all the water is frozen.

If you already have a compost pile, it's good to turn it before winter hits. Goodness knows, we're not likely to trudge out into the knee-deep snow when it's -15°F to do it. Well, not even when it's 15°F and there's only 6 inches of the white stuff. We'll do it again in the spring and dress the garden.

It's good to empty the flower pots and give them a good wipe-down. I like to keep the soil in a large pail over the winter. Toss the old plants into the compost, throwing out the tree seeds. Next spring I mix this "old" soil with fertilized potting soil, and everything grows happy. I save a bit, and my plants are fed.

Don't keep your pots outside, bring them into your garage or shed where they're protected from the elements. If they should become water-logged, or your teen-aged sons should shoot after sqirrels and miss, they may crack. At that point, they'll only be good for covering drainage holes in other pots. We don't need more of those.

Help your garden tools last by keeping them clean and rust-free. At the end of your growing season, be sure all the dirt is cleaned away. Use a dry brush and cloth to help with hinges, coils, and crevices. Dip your tools into oiled sand. To do this, keep a large pail, with a lid, partly full of sand. Add either mineral oil or motor oil, just enough to make it damp, but not moist. This helps to keep them conditioned, sharp, and free from rust.