Here are a few
suggestions for October gardening:
Now's the
time to start looking for those
fresh bedding plants in garden centers and nurseries. Most will be
shipped in from commercial greenhouses but some will be grown locally.
You'll want to avoid the leggy plants that are weak and spindly looking
from not enough light. Others may be stressed from inconsistent watering
from less than attentive garden center personnel. Don't be afraid to slip
a plant from its plastic container to look at the roots to make sure they
look healthy. Shop for weekend gardening on Thursday or Friday morning
when many new plant shipments arrive.
You still have
time to plant wildflower seeds for a show of spring color.
Look for individual seed packs or special southwest wildflower mixes.
You can still plant new trees
and shrubs. The weather is cool enough that you may not mind
digging holes for trees and shrubs. Tucson soils can be a challenge and it
may take hard work to break through caliche or dig out large rocks. Here's
a link to an Ag. Extension publication to help you decide what size hole
to dig for your container tree or shrub.
Planting
Guidelines.
Plant cool season vegetable crops.
Quick growing radishes, bunching onions, garlic, Swiss chard, spinach,
cabbage, cauliflower and a wide assortment of leaf lettuce can be planted.
Pesky Insects will gradually become less of a problem as the weather cools but you can also
purchase light weight floating row covers to offer minimal frost
protection and to act as an insect barrier to reduce the number of
flying insects.
The
strawberry patch should be filled
with new offshoots. If you collected them in September by pinning
the offshoots to the soil in small containers it's time to plant a new bed
or rejuvenate an older one.
Parsley and
Cilantro can be planted now. Cilantro is usually quick to bolt, and go to seed
the first sign of warm temperatures.
Nurseries will
have different varieties of
lavender which are quite drought tolerant and resistant to rabbits
because of the aromatic foliage.
Cut back on watering. As
day time temperatures drop it won't be necessary to water as
often. Some plants begin to go dormant with shorter days and cooler
temperatures and don't require as much water.
Tucson Botanical Gardens, Tohono
Chul Park, and Desert Survivors Nursery often have fall plant sales
in October. Check each organization's Web site (Local
Links) for dates.
Enjoy the cool mornings and cooler
days and the simpler gardening as winter slowly begins to
make its way into the desert.
