October plantings
3. Vegetables: Beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, collards, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onion, peas, potato, radicchio, radish, rhubarb, roquette, rutabaga, spinach, strawberry, Swiss chard and turnip
4. Flowers: African daisy, alyssum, angelonia, ageratum, begonia, black-eyed Susan, blue daze, calendula, candytuft, celosia, chrysanthemums, cleome, coleus, cornflower, cosmos, dianthus, dusty miller, gaillardia, gazania, geraniums, gerbera, heliotrope, hollyhock, impatiens, larkspur, lobelia, nicotiana, pentas, petunia, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower, sweet pea, verbena and zinnia
5. Herbs: Anise, basil, bay laurel, borage, cardamom, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, fennel, garlic, lavender, lemon balm, lovage, mint, nasturtium, oregano, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram, tarragon, thyme and water cress
6. Bulbs: African lily, agapanthus, amaryllis, anemone, bulbine, calla, crinum, day lily, gingers, gladiolus, pineapple lily, rain lily, society garlic, spider lilies, walking iris, watsonia. Refrigerate crocus, daffodils, hyacinth, narcissus and tulips for forcing.
Lawn care
7. Many lawns did not receive a summer feeding; apply a lawn fertilizer to regreen the turf.
8. Select any quality lawn fertilizer and follow label instructions.
9. October is the last feeding for bahia, centipede and zoysia lawns this year.
10. Weed and feed products labeled for your lawn may be substituted for a fertilizer-only product.
11. Regreen lawns that continually have a yellow look with an iron or minor nutrient application.
12. Herbicide-only products may be used, following label instructions for your lawn type.
13. Herbicides may not control all weeds; pull, dig or use non-selective spot sprays as labeled.
14. October through spring is generally a good time to install sod.
15. Fill bare spots in lawns left from summer pests with sod or plugs.
16. Seeding time for bahiagrass is over; delay rye seedings until late November.
17. Have the soil acidity tested and adjust the pH if needed.
18. Chinch bugs and sod webworms can linger into fall; control as needed.
19. Water turf when it shows signs of moisture stress.
20. Use soil aeration in compacted and poorly drained soils to encourage better root growth.
21. Continue mowing to maintain proper turf height; keep mowing height the same year-round.
22. Sharpen and balance mower blades to give a smooth cut to leaf blades.
23. Change the oil and air filters of gas-powered equipment for fall.
24. Use mulch or ornamental ground covers in areas where turf won’t grow.
Vegetable and fruit tree care
25. Warm-season plantings are well underway and should be completed by early month.
26. Use large transplants of tomatoes, peppers and
eggplants to get a fall crop.
27. Stake or trellis tall or vining crops to keep the edible portions off the ground.
28. Feed gardens every three to four weeks with a traditional fertilizer or use a slow-release product.
29. Tomatoes begin setting and holding their fruits early to mid-month.
30. Add flowers to vegetable gardens to attract pollinators.
31. Prevent spray damage to pollinators; apply sprays when they are not active.
32. Caterpillars are feeding on cucumbers, melons and tomatoes; control with a natural spray.
33. Begin plantings of cool-season vegetables around mid-month.
34. Gardeners cramped for space can grow vegetables in containers.
35. Start seeds for transplants of broccoli, cauliflower and similar vegetables in containers.
36. Add mulch to the surface of the soil to conserve moisture and keep vegetables dirt-free.
37. Groom summerweary herb plantings and start new ones that prefer the cooler weather.
38. Most vegetables and herbs need a moist soil; water when the surface begins to dry to the touch.
39. Fruit splitting on citrus trees is normal and may continue into the fall.
40. Help prevent citrus fruit drop and splitting; water once or twice a week during dry weather.
41. Give citrus a final feeding of the year during early October.
42. Till new garden sites and enrich sandy soils with garden soil, organic matter and manure.
43. Remove offshoots from pineapple plants to start new beds.
44. Start papaya seedlings for late winter transplants.
45. Add strawberry plants to a garden or build a pyramid for planting.
46. Delay pruning all fruit plantings until mid- to late winter.
47. Speed up the composting process by turning the piles monthly.
48. Harvest maturing chayotes, cocoyams, dasheens and gourds.
49. Dig in the soil to check sweet potato plantings; most have roots ready to harvest.