Cleaning Bird Feeders and Other October
Gardening Tips
Charlie Nardozzi, Horticulturist
National Gardening Association, and
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor
University of Vermont
Cleaning bird feeders, planting garlic,
and mulching bulbs are some of the garden
tips for this month.
Plant garlic now for harvesting next
summer. Purchase garlic sold specifically
for planting, or buy organic garlic.
Commercial, non-organic, supermarket garlic
may have been treated to inhibit sprouting.
Break the garlic head into individual
cloves, keeping the largest ones for
planting. (Use the small cloves for
cooking.) Plant cloves about 3 inches apart
with the pointy side up. Try some different
varieties to see which you prefer. Mulch the
bed well with straw.
If you have drip irrigation tubes
outside, blow or drain the water out and
bring them into a sheltered area. Any water
left in them over the winter will freeze and
possibly damage the tubes. Once you've
finished with fall planting, drain garden
hoses and bring them into a garage or shed.
If you have a shrub or small tree you'd
like to relocate next spring, now is the
time to prepare its root system. With a
long-handled spade, dig a circle around the
root ball, slicing through the roots. This
will encourage new roots to develop inside
the circle so the plant will have a more
compact root system when you dig it up next
year. This process, called “root pruning,”
will result in less transplant shock.
Spread a thin topping of compost on the
lawn after you rake up leaves, and rake
again to settle the compost. If some areas
aren't growing well, it might help to core
aerate before spreading compost. If you do
this in spring and fall, you can gradually
rejuvenate a tired lawn.
After you plant bulbs, spread mulch on
top to help keep the soil warmer longer to
allow for more root growth this fall. Roots
will continue to grow until the soil
temperature drops below about 40 degrees F.
Before winter bird feeding begins, clean
your feeders with a solution of one part
bleach to nine parts water. Scrub with a
brush and rinse thoroughly.
Other ideas for this month include
testing your soil, planting peonies or
dividing and replanting, keeping leaves
raked off lawns, and digging tender bulbs
such as dahlias and gladiolus. Visit the
National Gardening Association’s web site (www.garden.org)
for more information on gardening and
regional reports.
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