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...because all the best garden advice is local

October 9, 2014

 Veronica in front of Korean spice viburnum

      

It's that time of year again when the light goes golden, the days grow cool, and suddenly raking leaves in my yard for an hour or two seems like a break from work, rather than actual work itself.

     I'm sad to see my garden and long summer days go, but I wouldn't appreciate them if I had them year 'round. So I'm focusing on getting things cleaned up and put away for the winter--it feels so satisfying somehow, preparing for the upcoming harsh months. Slowly, I am transitioning into giving up my summer evenings on the porch for winter evenings by the fire.

     There are lots of things to get done in the garden--bulbs to plant, pots to empty and take in, the vegetable garden to rip out. Check out our handy-dandy list of fall garden clean-up chores--perfect to print and tack up in your garage. If you're like me, even if you don't do a single thing, just having the list makes you feel like a paragon of efficiency! 

Veronica Lorson Fowler

 

P.S. Most of us so far haven't had a first frost--which happens in Iowa, on average, anywhere from the last week of September in northwest Iowa to the last week of October in southeast Iowa. Click here to see average frost dates for your part of the state. And then click here to see easy tricks for protecting your favorite plants from those first early, light frosts! 

 
   
Pink turtlehead is a beautiful fall flower, not used often enough in Iowa gardens. Photo: North Creek Nurseries

The Flowers Of Fall

 

Granted, this time of year it's the trees and grasses that steal the show in our landscapes. But it's also nice to have some flowers still plugging away. I'm pleased that I can still go out and cut enough flowers to fill a vase in my garden.

   So check out these fall-blooming flowers for Iowa that will bring you cheer, color, and scent right up to the first hard frost.

    If you find them in garden centers, plant them now. Otherwise, put them on your list for spring planting. 

Put Away Pots

 

For decades, I've experimented with leaving just about every type of pot available out over the winter. Even concrete planters the seller promised wouldn't crack did after a year or two. But in our Iowa winters, which can hit 30 below, they did. 

   So be safe rather than sorry: Each fall, empty and stash all pots made of anything but metal. (Even plastic and resin containers will fade and crack.)

   Helpful hint: If you don't have room to store pots indoors, empty them (soil contains destructive moisture) and turn them upside down outside. Stack them, if you want. Then cover with a tarp, secured with stones and bricks along the sides to keep out snow and other moisture. Kept dry and protected like this, they'll do fine through the winter. 

Bulb Basics Tulips, Center Square of Pella, May 7 2013

 

October is the month to plant bulbs. Planting bulbs is not rocket science--just buy good ones, not cheapies and plant at the depth recommended on the package. The biggest mistake most people make is to plant tulips and hyacinths, expecting them to come back year after year. Daffodils, crocuses, and many other bulbs will indeed last for decades. But tulips and hyacinths tend to die out after their first year. Plant (and purchase!) accordingly.

   For more good information on choosing and planting spring blooming blubs, click here. 


 

Issue: 104
Frost Alert!

 

The northern two tiers of counties in Iowa may have frost tonight. Check here to see the map from the National Weather Service.

Monthly To-Do

 

 Plant spring-blooming bulbs. If you want, plant some in pots for forcing. Easy to do, fun, and very welcome come January and February!

 

 Keep harvesting, as much as you can. Click here for our best harvest tips!

 

 Pull out any annuals that are having significant problems with pests and diseases or are just looking ratty. They're not going to get any better. 

 

 Plant mums as desired. Hardy mums are more rugged looking and should be planted in the ground, where they'll come back each year. Florists' mums are perfect-looking, but last just one year. Either way, keep them well watered. if they wilt just once, they may not come back.

 

 Right before a rain, fertilize cool season lawns, such as Kentucky bluegrass, ryes and fescues, to encourage good root growth. Also fertilize warm-season grasses, such as zoysia, also to prompt them to green up faster in spring. Click here for a month-by-month lawn care schedule for Iowa.

 

 Look for garden items on clearance. A great way to save money! However, seeds kept for a year are not as likely to germinate well. And be careful about end of season plants. If they look tired, have spots, or problems, they're not bargains.

 

 For our printable monthly to-do lists and handy garden references, click here.

Editor's Choice 
Garden Events  
 
Saturday and Sunday, October 11th and 12th
Madison County Coverage Bridge Festival 
The Covered Bridge Festival includes live music, festival food, crafters and demonstrators, car show, quilt show, parade, covered bridge tours, childrens' activities, and more! Benjamin, the co-publisher of The Iowa Gardener, toured the bridges last fall and reported that "It's a great drive through rural Iowa. Take your camera, especially if the fall colors are good."

 

Garden Quote  

 

"Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter."

 -  Carol Bishop Hipps,  "In A Southern Garden"