Things to do in your garden in October.
Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario
Please contact John for more information!
November Garden Tips:
- While we have had some rain in October, I would suggest a little last-minute deep watering of trees and shrubs before the frost.
- Look for discounted bulbs on sale. Buy them and get them in the ground now. Your extra efforts will bloom in the spring.
- Remove annual plants from the garden and from pots or other containers. Dump plants and soil onto your compost pile. Clean pots thoroughly and store them.
- There is an annual argument among gardeners as to whether you should cut back all your perennials, grasses etc., in the fall, or leave them long for “winter interest”. Up here, most perennials are covered by 2+ feet of snow, so you can’t see them anyway. With no fall clean-up, spring clean-up can be daunting. It can be delayed by wet weather, a late spring or there can be instant summer. That’s why I am opting for a BIG FALL CLEAN-UP this year to get a jump on spring 2025. I’ll leave a few tall perennials with seeds for the birds, but suit yourself.
- Dig up and bring in dahlia tubers, tuberous begonias and gladiola corms when the leaves turn yellow. Remove the soil and wash the tubers. Remove little cormlets from glad corms for more plants next year. Cure the tubers and corms for 2-3 weeks in a warm dry place. Place in trays and cover with dry compost, peat moss, sand or perlite. Store at about 5 C in a cold cellar, or a slightly heated garage.
- Try potting up some spring bulbs like amaryllis and paperwhite narcissus and force them into bloom for Christmas and/or for late winter indoor colour. Different bulbs will require various lengths of cold storage in your refrigerator or cold cellar to flower, so read the product packaging carefully.
- Complete winterization procedures for plants and containers; drain hoses and clean all other garden equipment. To be a perfect gardener, sharpen your tools and put linseed oil on wood handles. Paint the handles of small hand tools RED, so you won’t lose them in the garden next spring.
- Protect young trees and shrubs from rodents by using wire collars or plastic protectors.
- Hill up your Hybrid Tea and Floribunda roses with 10+ inches of compost covering the stems, or use a metal or plastic “Rose Collar” and fill it with compost before the ground freezes.
- Create one or more Winter/Christmas urns using a variety of evergreen branches. Find branches with branches with colorful berries and add red dogwood stems and dried hydrangea blossoms.
- Check mulch levels in gardens. Pull mulch back 3” to 6” from around shrub and tree trunks to discourage rodents. Add more compost or leaves to beds if you have them. It provides winter homes for pollinators and other insects.
- Order seed catalogues for next spring.
- I usually recommend that you stock up on Triple-19 fertilizer now, so it is ready to put on your flower beds in March, right after the snow has melted. In early March, call the Markdale Co-Op at 1-519-986-2031 to make sure they have it in stock, or buy some now to be sure you’ll have it in March.
John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario
Beaver Valley Probus Club