October is the perfect time to get your garden ready for the next season. Preparing now can make a big difference come springtime. People who have been gardening for years really have a great routine for this. Here are some tips that will help you do the same this month.

Clean Up Your Flower Beds

It’s really important to clean up your flower beds as much as possible. This gets rid of potentially diseased or insect-infested leaves and debris under your shrubs and trees. Keeping things clean underneath is key. When the rain starts in the spring, the spores splash up onto your plants, and the cycle begins all over again.

This is especially true for fungal diseases, which are often spread if you don’t clean up well. Plants like lilacs, roses, fruit trees, and fruit bushes are particularly susceptible, so make sure to take extra care with those.

Put Away What You Don’t Need

If you’ve used things like tomato cages, bamboo poles, or other supports, now is the time to gather them up and store them for the year. This will help keep your garden tidy and your tools ready for next year. It’s also important to do this in order to preserve all of your tools year-over-year to get the best return on your investment. Clean, sharpen, and oil your tools before putting them away.

Leave Some Seed Heads For The Birds

If you enjoy attracting birds to your garden, consider leaving the flower heads on plants like coneflowers and ornamental grasses. The birds love pecking at the seed heads throughout the winter, and it adds a nice touch of life to your garden, even during the colder months.

Add Compost Or Manure To Your Beds

Your annuals and vegetables take a lot of nutrients from the soil, so it’s a good idea to add compost or manure in October. Simply leave it on top of the soil for the winter. In the spring, you can till it under or turn it over, and it’ll add some goodness back into your soil for the next growing season.

Use Cover Crops

If you’re planning to sow winter rye or winter wheat, October is the time to set up your cover crops. These cover crops help prevent soil erosion from the wind and add nutrients back into the soil.

Cover crops enrich the soil by adding organic matter as they decompose, promoting a healthy ecosystem for your garden. These plants also improve water retention, reduce the need for fertilizers, and boost nutrient levels in the soil. By enhancing soil structure and fertility, cover crops prepare your garden for a more productive growing season in the spring.

Apply Dormant Oil Spray

A lot of people are not aware that you can apply dormant oil spray in October. That spray comes in two parts—lime sulfur and horticultural oil. When mixed together, they work wonders on roses, lilacs, fruit trees, and fruit bushes.

Ensure that you spray it on the bare branches until it runs off, and the temperature needs to be above 40°F (or around 4°C) to apply it. Make sure to give it a few hours to dry before the temperature drops in the evening.

The horticultural oil acts as a “sticker” to help the lime sulfur adhere to the plant stems, smothering insects that are overwintering and preventing the spread of fungal diseases.

Plant Fall Bulbs

It’s not too late to plant fall bulbs in October! As soon as your beds are cleared from annuals, you can get your bulbs in the ground. It’s a great way to ensure a beautiful garden when spring comes around. A quick tip that we can share for fall bulbs is to remember to plant the pointy tips in an upward direction.

We know you’ll have a busy month now that we have given you many things to do.

Happy gardening!