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Plant spring bulbs
Fertilize existing bulbs
Store tender bulbs
Winterize
Fruit, Vegetable,
and Herb Care
Autumn harvest
Clean up for winter
Fertilize trees and shrubs
Monitor water needs
Autumn planting choices
Winter pests
Prepare containers
Move houseplants inside
Fertilize the lawn
Keep mowing
Help the environment
October’s falling leaves signal a major transition for Chicago-area gardeners. Although daytime temperatures may be pleasant and even balmy this month, autumn’s hard frost is on the way—and outdoor tasks are often dictated by its arrival. Cleanup and maintenance chores take a starring role in advance of winter. Although our gardens are bidding farewell to the last of the season’s flowers, October is a great time to plant spring-blooming bulbs in anticipation of next year’s growing season.
Plant spring bulbs
Fall is prime time for planting spring-blooming bulbs. Consider adding new varieties to the yard and bulbs that are timed to successively bloom from early to late spring.
Begin garden cleanup
As leaves fall and plants die back, it’s a good time to clean up the yard in anticipation of the coming winter weather.
Clean containers well before storing over winter.
Feed compost heaps
Keep your compost pile active by adding layers of green material (e.g., grass clippings and spent annuals or perennials) and brown dried material (fallen leaves, shredded twigs, and dried grasses).
Keep diseased plant material out of the pile.
Take winter precautions now
If rabbits or rodents have created problems in previous seasons by overwintering in the garden, cut down their winter habitats, such as ornamental grass clumps or tall perennials.
Annual and Perennial Care
Plant spring bulbs
Gardeners can start planting spring-blooming bulbs this month and even into November, provided the ground has not yet frozen. Choose a sunny, well-drained area and plant your bulbs two to three times as deep as the height of the bulb.
Fertilize existing bulbs
Apply a slow-release bulb booster-type fertilizer into the top layer of soil above existing clumps of spring-blooming bulbs. This will help the bulbs produce vigorous growth next spring.
Store tender bulbs
A few weeks after a killing frost, lift and store tender summer- and fall-blooming bulbs. This might be as late as November.
Winterize aquatic gardens and ponds
Hardy water plants may remain in small ponds. Keep in mind that if the water freezes, some plants may not survive.
Remove tropical water plants, cut off all foliage and flowers, and store tubers in a bucket or container filled with moist sand. Store container at 55 degrees.
Lawn Care
Tree and Shrub Care
Fertilize the lawn
If not done in September, fertilize lawns with a slow-release fertilizer formulated for turf. (Note that the final application of high-nitrogen winterizer lawn fertilizer is usually applied in mid-November, about one week after the final mowing of the season and before a hard freeze. This late treatment helps grass roots store nutrients over the winter.)
Keep mowing
Continue to mow lawns at 2½ to 3 inches. Grass clippings may be added directly to a compost heap, but avoid adding soaking-wet clippings to compost.
Fruit, Vegetable, and Herb Care
Keep up with the autumn harvest
Continue to harvest vegetables as they ripen. Be prepared to act swiftly when a hard frost threatens:
Clean up for winter
After a hard frost, remove all dead plant material from the vegetable garden and discard or compost. Maintain proper sanitation throughout the entire garden area.
Fertilize trees and shrubs
Consider applying fertilizer this month to trees or shrubs that have not received any fertilizer this year and/or have demonstrated need—for example, stunted growth, failure to fully flower or leaf out, undersized fruit, off-color foliage, recovery from disease, or insect attack.
Monitor water needs
Continue to water trees and shrubs, especially evergreens, up until the ground freezes. Milder temperatures can fool gardeners into thinking woody plants don’t require as much moisture in fall as they do in summer.
Autumn planting choices
Many deciduous trees and shrubs can be planted when they demonstrate fall color or drop their leaves. This indicates they are initiating dormancy.
Note that certain tree and shrub varieties are better planted in spring, among them American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), Cornelian cherry dogwood (Cornus mas), and swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor).
Protect trees and shrubs from winter pests
If rabbits, rodents, or deer have been a problem in past winters, take precautions with valuable woody plants now.
Outdoor Container Care
Indoor Plant Care
Prepare containers for overwintering
Move houseplants inside
Houseplants should be gradually acclimated to indoor conditions and brought inside before the Chicago area’s first hard frost.
October is a great month to …
use fall leaves to help the environment
After you rake all those fallen autumn leaves, put them to work! Shredded leaves can play many important roles—helping insects overwinter, feeding the soil, and/or enriching a compost pile.