October

• Continue watering, especially evergreens if soils are dry.
• Plant spring bulbs among hostas, ferns, daylilies or ground covers. As these plants grow in the spring, they will hide the dying bulb foliage.
• Spring bulbs for forcing can be potted up now and stored in a cool, frost-fre place until it is time to bring indoors, usually 12 to 15 weeks.
• Transplant deciduous trees once they have dropped their leaves.
• Seeding should be finished by October 15.
• Continue mowing lawns until growth stops.
• Keep leaves raked off lawns to prevent smothering grass.
• Harvest winter squash and pumpkins before frost. For best storage quality, leave an inch or two of stem on each fruit.
• Gourds should be harvested when their shells become hard or when their color changes from green to brown.
• A few degrees of frost protection can be gained by covering tender plants with sheets or lightweight fabric row covers.
• The average frost usually arrives around October 15-20.
• Store apples in a cool basement in old plastic sacks that have been perforated for good air circulation.
• Place wire guards around trunks of young fruit trees for protection against mice and rabbits.

Adapted from the Missouri Botanical Garden calendar at www.mobot.org.