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October
Garden Calendar
By
John Chapman
October
is all out pedal to metal gardening month.
We really have two seasons in this low desert, warm
and cool and October is the door to the cool season
so let's get at it.
Soil preparation: This is the most important
step to successful gardening in the southwest deserts.
Spend the time preparing the soil, everything you do
"up front" will be rewarded later. It's hard to overcome
a poor start with flowers and vegetables. If the soil
is not right with organic material and pH is not right,
plants will not produce. So do it right. There are no
shortcuts to producing a great crop of vegetables and
ornamentals. Spade the garden beds to a depth of 8-12
inches - turn the soil over and break up the clods.
For each 100 square feet of garden area spread 3 pounds
of ammonium phosphate, 16-20-0; 2 to 3 pounds of sulfur
and 5 pounds of Ironite. Spread a minimum of 3 inches
(8 to 10 large bags) of compost, forest mulch, steer
or horse manure; adjust the amounts up or down consistent
with size of beds, except for the organic material.
Mix, blend, or rototill together. Water it well, and
plant when the soil has dried to just moist. Remember,
if you are going to plant onions work gypsum into your
soil to a depth of eight to 12 inches in place of sulfur.
Sulfur makes onions hot, not sweet.
Vegetables: A good way to get the right population
is to press a garden rake into the soil until its teeth
make half-inch deep holes. Pull the rake straight up
without disturbing the row of holes in a square pattern
throughout your bed. Sow one seed in each hole. Any
of the winter vegetables are suitable, whether they
are leafy kinds or root producers. The emerging seedlings
will be about 1 1/2 inches from one another and will
not need thinning for perhaps three to four weeks.
A word on varieties: Obtain the shortest day varieties
you can, for example: Earliana Cabbage takes 60 to 75
days whereas Flat Dutch cabbage takes 90 to 100 days.
Onions too may be planted from seed, but use only short-day
varieties such as Granex, Grano, or Vidalia. Forget
planting head lettuce, you only get one head per plant
whereas leaf lettuce types are much easier to grow and
they keep growing new leaves and you can also start
picking leaf lettuce sooner. Strawberries are more difficult
to obtain now unless you can get some from a friend.
Sequoia seems to be the most durable. If you plant strawberries
now, they can establish their root systems in the cool
days and warm soil so strawberries will set in the spring.
Now, early October is the last opportunity to kill unwanted
grass and weeds. Herbicides will only work when the
plant is actively growing so when the weather turns
cold, the plants processes slow down considerably. After
a frost and Bermuda grass is practically white, herbicide
is almost useless. You will have to wait until almost
April to apply. If you are planning to start a garden
in the spring, spray the area now or the grass will
come back to life with your seedlings. Use an herbicide
like Roundup, Ortho Clean up, Doomsday, or Grass Getter.
Use Manage if you have as nut grass problem.
Flowers: This is the time to plant flowers. The
season to plant just about anything you wish is here.
Many of these are showing up at nurseries. If you would
like to try some bulbs, plant them the first of November.
Freesias and paper white Narcissus will come up year
after year without much maintenance, also Anomoe, Crocus,
Gladiolus, Iris, or Ranunculus. Hyacinths and Tulips
need to be put into a paper sack and chilled in your
refrigerator for 4-6 weeks or they probably won't bloom.
For a nicer look plant bulbs in groups or clusters instead
of rows. Dianthus, Geraniums and Petunias are my favorites
because they bloom continuously and prolifically. Petunias
do best in full sun and come in a rainbow of colors.
You can plant Geraniums and dianthus in shade or sun.
For shade, partial shade or in full sun Geraniums are
beautiful and come in a variety of pink, red and orange
hues. I love to use lobelia (bright blue) and alyssum
as borders that comes in white, lavender, pink, or Easter
bonnet, which is a white-lavender mix.
Trees and shrubs: With the exception of palms
October is the best month for planting out trees, shrubs
- and according to the Desert Botanical Garden - even
cactus, even better than spring. With cool nights, the
soil is still warm from the day, the roots establish
well and the plant will be stronger before the heat
of next summer hits them. Dig a hole three times the
size of the root ball. Plant the tree or shrub so the
top of the root ball is slightly higher than ground
level. Backfill with the native soil treble super phosphate
and Ironite, and twelve fertilizer briquettes - three
under the root ball and three in three levels as you
back fill. Now you won't have to fertilize for a year.
Run the hose in the hole as you back fill to settle
the native soil and drive out air pockets. Put newly
planted shrubs and trees on a once a week watering cycle.
Do not fertilize established trees and shrubs now. Save
fertilizing until February. Fertilizing promotes new
growth, and this is the very part of the tree or shrub
most subject to frost damage.
As cooler temperatures arrive, cut back on watering
by about one-third. For example, if you're watering
your citrus every week, stretch this out to every two
weeks. The length of the watering cycle remains the
same but the time between irrigations is stretched.
A sudden wilt or drop of citrus leaves can be seen following
abrupt weather changes. Twig dieback and gumming often
occur with this condition. If Pecans Drop before peak
harvests, this is a normal shedding of nuts that are
damaged or underdeveloped. No management required. The
honeydew that is falling on your cars and patio under
your pecan trees is from aphids feeding on the pecan
leaves. No spray is necessary or practical. Just park
your vehicles some place else for a few weeks.
Lawns: Because we are in a drought condition
many HOA - Homeowner associations - are recommending
their members not plant winter lawns this fall to conserve
water. I personally will follow their lead and not plant
a winter lawn this year. The second week of October-Nov.1
is the average window for planting winter lawns but
this year we are under 100 degrees during the first
week of October so now is the time if you are going
to do it. Perennial Rye is the ideal choice for a deep
green lawn. Mow existing Bermuda lawns to about one
half inch. Sow at the rate of 10 to 15 pounds per l,000
square feet. After initial soaking, water three or four
times a day for 3-5 minutes to keep the seeds moist.
If they dry--they die. Keep moist for about two weeks
until the seed germinates and then water once a day.
You should be able to mow the third week after sowing.
Mow 1 1/2 to 2 inches in height and water once a week.
If you have a very shady yard and Bermuda won't grow
during the summer, try Tall fescue instead of Perennial
Rye. Do not dethatch Bermuda in the Fall. Dethatching
should be done in the summer when the grass is actively
growing. Do not increase opportunities for fungal disease
on turf by over watering or watering at night. DO NOT
OVER WATER, which will result in root rots. Allow the
soil to dry out between watering. Using a fertilizer
containing potassium on your Bermuda lawns will help
the lawn into winter dormancy as well as assist in vigorous
growth in the spring.
Wildflowers: Prepare the soil and plant now for
a late spring exhibition. Good choices for the valley:
Mexican gold poppies, California poppies, desert bluebells,
desert marigold, desert lupine, aroyo lupine, dyssodia,
firewheel, red flax, Mexican hat, spreading fleabane,
desert senna, verbena and sunflowers. Water the flowerbed
daily until the seeds germinate, and once a week thereafter
if there is no rain.
____________________________________________________________________
If
you have a specific question for John please leave them
on his voice mail 480-898-5636 or email him at john@johnchapman.com
. Please leave your question, name, city, and phone
number. For more of John Chapman’s gardening tips
listen to news radio 620am KTAR Saturday morning 7:40-8AM.
On Television watch John’s garden segments on Jan
D’Atri’s Heart and Home on Sunday 12:30pm
and replays Monday evenings 8 pm AZTV broadcast 27,
Cable America 4, or Cox 13
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