Southern Plains October Garden To-Do List

October is a great time to be garden in our region . We are in the prime month of fall , with cooler temperatures ( but belike no freeze yet ) and increased rainfall . Here are a few things you should be doing in your garden this calendar month .

Plant decorative smoke . It ’s well-situated to find inspiration for plant ornamental grasses this calendar month because so many of them are bloom and looking their beneficial right now . Manymuhly speciesdo well in our part : big muhly ( Muhlenbergia lindheimeri , Zones 7–11 ) , gulf muhly ( M. capillaris , Zones 5–9 ) , yearn muhly ( M. dubia , Zones 6–10 ) , and bamboo muhly ( M. dumosa , Zones 8–10 ) are all heavy choice . Other good choice are Native American grass ( Sorghastrum nutans , Zones 4–9 ) , switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum , Zones 5–9 ) , sideoats grama grass ( Bouteloua curtipendula , Zones 4–9 ) , and little blue stem ( Schizachyrium scoparium , Zones 3–9 ) . For more great grasses to look at , read on hereorlisten in here .

Sow germ for next spring ’s wildflower . You might not be thinking about wildflowers properly now , but this is the time to sow their seed for next spring . Some of the most beautiful and authentic spring wildflowers you should sow this month are bluebonnets ( Lupinus texensis , Zones 3–8 ) , Amerind cover ( Gaillardia pulchella , Zones 2–11 ) , black - eyed Susans ( Rudbeckia hirta , Zones 3–7 ) , Texas yellowstar ( Lindheimera texana , Zones 8–10 ) , and purple coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea , Zones 3–9 ) . To prepare an expanse for sowing , raspy up the soil with a profligate , throw out the seeds by hand , rocky up the region again with the rake to ensure stain - seminal fluid impinging , and then piss . The ideal metre to do this is ripe before a nice rainwater so that additional urine is n’t necessary .

Reduce or stop supplementary irrigation . October and May are the months when we run to get the most precipitation in our region . If you have an automatic irrigation organization , make trusted that it is n’t persist needlessly during or after wet weather condition . I am often able to shut off supplemental irrigation for a few daytime after a half - inch of rainwater or more . With scattered rainfall throughout the calendar month , you may be able to avoid watering entirely .

Use staggered planting in the veggie garden . Last month you may have transplantedbrassicaseedlings in the vegetable garden . you’re able to carry on to do that this month if you would wish a staggered harvest or if you lost any transplanting to pest or weather last month . you may also expend staggered planting for other plants that you do n’t want to maturate all at once , such as lettuce , spinach plant , beets , cultivated carrot , radishes , and cool - season putting green . Staggered planting of almost any craw is potential in the Southern Plains since we have a long growing season .

plant life onions and garlic . other October is a good time to plant genus Allium such as bunching and multiplyingonionsandgarlic . Elephant Allium sativum is a very hardy , successful garlic for our area . Like other garlic , fall - planted elephant garlic is commonly quick about eight months after plant . Even if you do n’t have a veg garden , you might want to integrate onion or garlic plants in your cosmetic garden seam because of their beautiful bloom and foliage .

— Karen Beaty is a horticulturalist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin , Texas .

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Southern Plains September Garden To-Do List

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cold-season crops

October usually heralds rain for the Southern Plains. Reduce irrigation, but continue planting cold-season crops in the veggie garden.Photo: Karen Beaty

Sioux Blue Indian grass