Winter’s coming so it’s time for October’s to-do list

  • By Steve Smith Special to The Herald
  • Tuesday, September 29, 2015 5:08pm
  • Life

It is official. As of Sept. 23, the days are now shorter than the nights and will continue to be so for the next six months. While that might sound depressing, the fact is that Mother Nature doesn’t seem to be bothered by it at all. In fact, there are actually plants that seem to wake up in the winter, bloom and set fruit while the rest of us are hunkered down in our homes.

Go figure.

Last year the fall season was dry and warm, with the exception of that nasty week in early November. The same is forecast for this fall, which means that we should be able to get everything done before winter sets in for good and have a jump on spring 2016. Here are the high points to consider:

Watering. Despite the scattered rains we have received, the ground is still very dry. Get out the hose and soak the beds and lawn at least one time this month. Just trust me on this, it’s worth the effort and expense.

Lawns. This is the last month to overhaul or plant a new lawn. Applying an organic fertilizer like EB Stone Organic’s Nature’s Green Lawn Food 10-1-4 will help keep your lawn green all winter and into early spring. Red thread can sometimes be a problem in the fall and Bonide’s Infuse will help control it in one easy application.

Roses. Stop fertilizing and leave a few finished blooms to form hips. Don’t do any hard pruning, just a little sniping to tidy them up. Once the nights get into the 30s we can do some serious mulching and pruning.

Perennials. There are still some late bloomers that look great: asters, mums, Japanese anemones, cone flowers, Russian sage, sedum and toad lilies. Ornamental grasses are just spectacular right now. Enjoy the last blooms of the season and don’t rush to tidy things up. There are a lot of seeds in those old flower heads that the birds will enjoy. Wait until the first frost to really start cleaning up the perennial beds. In fact, you can even wait until mid- to late February to do it.

Containers. It’s time to clean out your containers of summer color and replant with hardy perennials, ground covers and even shrubs for the winter. For color, of course, nothing beats pansies and violas. Try some E.B. Stone Organic’s Pansy and Fall Flower Food, which contains seabird guano, a more readily soluble form of organic nitrogen.

Bulbs. This is the month to get serious about planting bulbs. With some careful planning, you can have blooming bulbs from January until June, sometimes all in the same pot. Don’t forget to add some E.B. Stone Organic’s Bone Meal, which contains 15 percent phosphorus, an ingredient that bulbs love.

Vegetables. Plant fall crops now and control winter weeds by either laying a 1-inch layer of compost or planting a cover crop. Building a cloche (a temporary greenhouse-type structure) will also help to produce a successful winter crop. Root and leaf crops can both be planted this month. Garlic must be planted in the fall.

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached online at info@sunnysidenursery.net.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.