Gardeners Checklist: Here Is What to Do the Week of Oct. 15

By Ron Kujawski 

* Begin cutting back the leaves and dead flower stalks of herbaceous perennials hit by the hard freeze of last week. Some gardeners prefer to leave the foliage of perennials intact through winter because they claim it captures snow, which in turn provides a winter cover for the plants. I may do that for some plants that have attractive seed heads on spent flower stems, but I will definitely cut back any leaves that were infected with disease this past growing season.

* Rake up fallen pine needles and store them in bags, garbage cans or other containers. Use the pine needles later this fall after the ground has frozen to mulch flower and shrub borders. 

* Be careful to neither over-water nor over-fertilize houseplants. As the days shorten and sunlight becomes less intense, plant growth slows, and a plant’s need for water and nutrients decreases. On the other hand, increase the amount of light to plants such as potted geraniums, succulents, Ficus species, ponytail palm, and aralias, by supplementing natural light with that from grow lamps or other artificial light sources.

* Pull up frost-killed stems and vines of tender vegetable crops and toss them onto the compost pile. 

* Turn over vacated sections of the garden that are now devoid of plants. By doing this, you’ll bury plant remnants too small to remove to the compost pile. Better that this organic debris be worked into the soil now rather than be left on the soil surface.  They’ll contribute organic matter to the soil. 

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In past years, I’ve given several talks on growing garlic to different audiences. As part of the presentation, I challenge participants to taste one of my garlic chips, which are nothing more than dehydrated slices of garlic. It always surprises them how spicy the chips taste. I let them know that the fresh garlic I used to make the chips also tastes spicy. Most likely, the reason why they are surprised at the taste is that they have been eating only garlic from their supermarket. Garlic sold in food markets is typically a variety that is very mild in flavor and is grown in California, or more likely, in Mexico. To get the more intensely flavored garlic, you have to grow your own. The preferred varieties for the New England climate are hardneck garlic, so named because of a stiff flower shoot that grows from the center of the developing bulb. This shoot or hardneck is called a scape.   This is my roundabout way of saying that late October is the time to plant garlic. It is a very easy crop to grow. Bulbs can be obtained at farmers’ markets and local garden centers. Do not use supermarket garlic for planting since they are not usually a variety best suited to this region. Before planting, prepare the soil by working in plenty of organic matter, a smattering of wood ash – for its calcium and potassium – and some cottonseed meal or alfalfa meal. Separate garlic bulbs into individual cloves and plant these about 2-3 inches deep and 6 inches apart. Cover the planting with straw mulch. Next year, you may surprise your unsuspecting friends by having them taste your home-grown spicy garlic, but keep a supply of breath mints handy.

Ron Kujawski began gardening at an early age on his family's onion farm in upstate New York. Although now retired, he spent most of his career teaching at the UMass Extension Service. He serves on Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Advisory Committee. His book, Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook, is available here.