(Chelsea Update would like to thank Jennifer Fairfield, owner of The Garden Mill, for the information in this column. This is part one of a two parts. The second part will run tomorrow.)
There are all kinds of things that we can be doing in our yards and gardens this month.
Early October is one of the best times for planting some things, while mid-October is best for getting in bulbs, and the end of the month is the time to put your gardens (and gardening tools) to bed for the winter.
Vegetables
If you still have plants in your vegetable garden, keep fleece row covers (or lightweight sheets) handy for nights when frosts are predicted. Some crops, such as kale, cabbage, and broccoli can take a bit of frost (many people say they taste better, but I haven’t done any real taste-testing to be sure), but most others will continue to produce with the somewhat warm fall days, as long as they don’t get hit by frost.
Transplanting
If you have been meaning to divide and transplant anything in your garden, you should get to that task quickly. You’re probably still OK to do so for a little bit, but you need to make sure that your plants have time to get acclimated to their new digs before we start getting killing frosts and before the ground freezes. I highly recommend giving them a good layer of mulch, keeping them watered, and covering them up at night for a while if temps are dipping into the low 40s or lower.
Mulch
Don’t be in a hurry to add mulch to your existing plants yet. The idea of adding mulch at this time of year is to help keep the temperature of the soil around your plants consistently cold. It’s not unusual for us to get thaws throughout the winter, which can cause heaving, leading to damage to the crown and roots or even to the death of the plant. If you put mulch down too early though, you will be helping to keep the soil warmer as the air temperature falls, which is not what they need.
Mow
Likewise, don’t be in a hurry to put your mower away. As long as the grass is growing, you need to keep cutting it. Leaving your lawn too long in the winter can lead to disease. And leave the clippings on the lawn – they mulch the lawn which helps to add nutrients back.
Water
Same goes for your hoses. Yes, you do want to be careful that you aren’t leaving them outside with water in them when we start getting freezing temps, as this can cause damage to your hoses. But, keep them handy so that you can continue to water your plants. All of your plants will need supplemental water if nature isn’t providing at least an inch of water per week. Keep watering up until the ground freezes, as a lack of water will cause stress that will make it harder for them to make it through the winter. This is especially true of anything newly planted.
(Part 2 of these tips will run tomorrow.)
