Hello Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Gardeners,

It’s time to enjoy your Fall Harvest! Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and videos for October. Some upcoming events/resources include Natives at Noon: Lunch & Learn Webinar Series, our MCT Garden Club Community Event: Get the Biggest Bang for Your Sweat with Smart Garden Practices, Montgomery Parks – Events: Agricultural History Farm Park: Harvest Festival, Fall Footprints, Hiking Histories, Brookside Gardens: Guided Mindfulness Walk – “Self-Care in Nature”, American Public Gardens Association – Regional Learning Series, Outdoor Guided Walk for Families: Gardening for Beginners, Glory of Fall Garden Tour, and Chrysanthemum & Conservatory Tour, Meadowside Nature Center: Ask a Naturalist, Walk Up Bird Walk, Seneca Creek State Park October Programs; Fall and Winter Garden Vegetables with Master Gardeners and Documentary Screening: Bird Walk @ Gaithersburg Library, Montgomery College: Lifelong Learning Home and Garden Classes – Fall 2026, Fall 2026 Environmental Horticulture classes, and more! A lot of gardening events are announced on Facebook as well as on our website. These events will be hosted as online or in-person events.

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Get the Biggest Bang for Your Sweat with Smart Garden Practices

Monday, October 26

7:00 pm

Mill Creek Parish United Methodist Church
7101 Horizon Terrace
Derwood, MD 20855

Guest Speaker: Meipo Martin, Master Gardener

Join us for a special presentation “Get the Biggest Bang for Your Sweat with Smart Garden Practices”, by guest speaker, Meipo Martin, Master Gardener on Monday, October 26, 2026 at 7pm.

• FREE
• Light Refreshments provided

Ever wonder why your garden is not looking its best despite all the effort and resources you have poured in? Maybe it is time to rethink the way you garden. Come learn better ways to improve your soil, suppress weed, help your plants grow stronger and healthier with less water, less garden products and, most importantly, less work!

Meipo Martin bio:

Meipo Martin was born in Hong Kong, where she started growing houseplants and herbs on the apartment windowsill.  In 1998, she moved to the United States.  In her new garden, her love for plants came into full bloom and she became a Montgomery County Master Gardener in 2015.  Meipo believes gardening should be accessible to all, and it does not have to be expensive or hard.  To share her knowledge, Meipo gives a variety of presentations on gardening methods for the master gardener organization.  When she is not gardening, Meipo is a wife, an Aikido instructor, a woodcarver, a blogger and a sewist.

RSVP: info@mctgardenclub.org

Please do NOT attend this event if you are or have been experiencing symptoms of illness.

THIS EVENT IS FREE, BUT DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED!

Donations pay for landscaping, repair and maintenance of the Mill Creek Towne Entrances, and our garden-related programs at our community meetings.

NOTE: If Montgomery County Schools are closed due to inclement weather, the Garden Club meeting will be cancelled.

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Join Mill Creek Towne Garden Club!

• Are you interested in gardening? Perhaps you’re a beginner, looking to learn more, or an experienced gardener interested in sharing your experiences and learning from others?
• Are you interested in making your home and community a more beautiful place to live?
• Are you interested in getting more involved in your community and getting to know your neighbors better?

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Visit Our MCT Garden Club Website for Gardening Resources

• Local Gardening Resources: Looking for a Master Gardener as a guest speaker, need gardening advice, or want to learn about resources in or near Mill Creek Towne? Visit our Resources page for details.
• MCTGC Blog: Check our monthly blog for garden tips and local/online garden-related events.
• Gardening Books: Looking for a gift for your favorite gardener? Visit our Gardening Books Resources page for holiday gift ideas.
• Local Gardens: Visit our Local Gardens page to learn about local gardens in our area.
• Montgomery County Farmers’ Markets: Support our local farmers. Check this page to learn about local farmers markets in our area or join a CSA and get fresh local produce year-round!
• Online Gardening Resources: Looking for gardening apps or online resources to help with your gardening? Check out our Online Gardening Resources page for some apps for your smartphone and online gardening resources focused on the DMV area.
• Recipes: Looking for a recipe for your home-grown veggies and fruit? Check our Recipes page for ideas.

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Montgomery County Master Gardeners - Maryland

What can Master Gardeners do for you?

• Help you select and care for annual and perennial plants, shrubs and trees.
• Determine if you need to test your soil.
• Provide you with information on lawn care.
• Identify weeds, beneficial and noxious insects, and plant diseases and remedies.
• Teach you how to use pesticides, mulch and compost.
• Guide you in pruning trees and shrubs.
• Provide you with options for managing wildlife.
• Provide you with gardening resources.
• Help you submit a plant sample for diagnosis

Plant Clinics are held at several sites in the county on a weekly basis and at special events such as garden festivals and the county fair. Regularly scheduled Plant Clinics are located at public libraries and farmers’ markets throughout the county as well as at the Audubon Naturalist Society in Chevy Chase.  There are also clinics three days per week at Brookside Gardens.  The busiest season is April through September, but some clinics are open year-round.  Bring your plant samples and questions to one of these locations in Montgomery County, MD (see link below to find a location near you):

https://extension.umd.edu/mg/locations/plant-clinics

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Buy Fresh Produce and Support Farms at County Farmers Markets

The 9th season of the Derwood Farmers Market is here! Come enjoy fresh produce, live music, friends & food trucks.

16501 Redland Rd, Rockville, MD 20855

SATURDAYS, 9AM – 1PM​‍
until October 10, 2026

Visit the Derwood Farmers Market on Saturdays and enjoy the amazing flavors our food and beverage vendors are bringing to the table! Whether you’re planning your market brunch, stocking up on fresh-baked treats, or cooling off with a smoothie, there’s something delicious waiting for you. Our market participates in nutrition assistance programs including eWIC & matching dollars for SNAP. The Derwood Market also collects food scraps for composting through a partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection. 

Ready to plan your first taste adventure? See the full list of vendors here:
www.milkladymarkets.org/derwood-market​

We can’t wait to see you! Let’s celebrate fresh flavors, good company, and our amazing community together.

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Flowers and Groundcovers

• From mid-October through November, plant hardy bulbs for spring flowering.
• Pull out spent annuals.
• Plant hardy mums and fall season annuals.
• Dig up bulbs from your Gladiolus, Canna, Caladiums, and other tender bulbs; cut off foliage; let dry for a week; and store for the winter.
• Sow wildflower seeds, such as California Poppies, for next spring.
• Start shopping for spring bulbs.
• Continue removing diseased leaves. Put diseased leaves, pesticide-laden grass clippings and weed seeds in your trash, not your compost bin.
• Leave seedheads on Black-eyed Susans, Echinacea, Goldenrod, Sunflowers, and Thistles for the birds to enjoy over winter.
• Continue to divide and transplant perennials.
• Preserve dry flowers for display in the fall.
• Start collecting plant seeds for next year and for trading.
• Check pots and containers daily for water needs.
• Look for evidence of pest or fungal disease throughout your garden.
• Weed and weed some more.
• Check for black spot on your roses – remove and discard any affected leaves in the trash, never back into your garden or in your compost – apply fungicide with Neem oil every two weeks during the growing season.
• Inspect for powdery mildew. If seen, prune back perennials to create needed circulation. Discard properly (i.e., not in your compost bin).
• Rake up weeds and their seedlings, especially look for fast-growing vines such as honeysuckle, autumn clematis, bittersweet, wild grape, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy.
• Pests to watch for: Aphids, spidermites, whiteflies, snails, slugs, deer, voles
• Diseases to watch for:  bacterial diseases, Blackspot on roses, Fungal leaf spot, powdery mildew, rust
• See UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.
• For a list of native plant resources, visit: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/native-plant-resources

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Trees and Shrubs

• Transplant trees when leaves begin to color.
• Check for bagworms, pick off bag, and dispose of them.
• Prune evergreens to get in shape for fall/winter.
• If your conifers start shedding their needles or your spring bulb foliage starts peeking out of the ground, don’t worry. This is normal for our autumn cycle.
• Take cuttings from azaleas, boxwoods, and camellias to start new plants.
• Thin out small trees and cut off any suckering branches growing from the bottom root ball.
• Transplant trees and shrubs.
• Plant evergreens for winter interest.
• Prune foundation shrubs and trees to be no closer than 1 foot from the house.
• Contact a certified arborist to have your trees’ health inspected.
• Directly after blooming, prune flowering shrubs and vines.
• Prune boxwoods.
• Get a soil test.
• Prune long shoots on shrubs to keep plant neat looking.
• If you must mulch: Remove old mulch, then add 2″ – 3″ shredded pine or pine needles, keeping 3″ away from trunk.
• Clean your gutters.
• Do not fertilize newly planted or transplanted plants the first year.
• Check often and water newly planted trees if they don’t pass the finger test (stick your finger deep into soil – dry? Water!)
• Prune broken, dead, diseased, or damaged branches.
• Keep an eye out for bark damage from rabbits or deer.
• Check for vole problems and set out traps.
• Spray broadleaf evergreens with anti-desiccant to prevent dehydration.
• Use fallen leaves for mulch or compost.
• Look out for any Poison Ivy vines, which will turn crimson in the fall and be easy to distinguish from other vines.
• Weed – especially look for fast-growing vines such as honeysuckle, autumn clematis, bittersweet, wild grape, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy. Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like groundcover from under shrubs.
• Mulch or compost healthy leaves.
• Continue to remove fallen, diseased leaves.
• Put diseased leaves, pesticide-laden grass clippings and weed seeds in your trash — not your compost pile.
• Turn your compost pile weekly and don’t let it dry out. Work compost into your planting beds.
• Apply scale and dormant oil treatment before dormancy breaks to decrease pest infestations.
• Remove dead and dying trees.
• Pests to watch for: aphids, azalea lacebug, bagworms, caterpillars, deer, gypsy moths, Japanese beetles, leafminers, sawfly, scale, spidermites, voles, and webworms.
• Diseases to watch for: Apple scab, Cedar-apple, hawthorn or quince rust, Verticillium wilt, Oak leaf blister.
• For more tips, see UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.

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Herbs, Veggies, and Fruit

• Keep an eye out for the first frost date. In Zone 6, it is expected between September 30 and October 30. In Zone 7, it is predicted to be between October 15 and November 15.
• Harvest most fruit before frost.
• Harvest sweet potatoes.
• Set up a cold frame, then plant lettuces, radishes, and carrots from seed.
• Dig up and store potatoes in a cool spot.
• Continue planting cool-season vegetables; plant garlic now through the end of October.
• This is a good time to have your vegetable garden and landscape soils tested.
• Pick apples or pumpkins at your local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer’s market.
• Watch your pumpkins/squash. Harvest them when their rinds are dull and hard.
• Plant cover crops in vegetable gardens and annual beds (for example, rye, clover, hairy vetch, and winter peas).
• Pot up rosemary and chives for over-wintering indoors.
• Pick mature tomatoes and peppers to ripen on your window sills.
• Remove rotting fruits from fruit trees and compost them.
• Harvest leaves of herbs used in cooking (rosemary, basil, sage) in early morning, for best flavor.
• Plant cool-season vegetables (beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, radish, spinach, turnips).
• Harvest your herbs often and keep them trimmed back to encourage leafy growth. Dry them indoors if you can’t use them right away.
• Order garlic, onions, and shallots for fall planting.
• Deadhead garlic chives before they go to seed. Makes a nice cut-flower.
• Remove finished plants.
• Cut off bottom, yellowed foliage on tomato plants.
• Mulch strawberry beds for winter.
• Harvest regularly from your vegetable garden to prevent rot and waste.
• Harvest onions when the tops die back.
• Sow seeds of fall crops such as broccoli, turnips, cauliflower, etc. in late July.
• New fruit plants – keep watered their first spring, summer, and fall.
• Hand-pick cabbage worms from cabbage and brocolli.
• Gently clean up the garden, add 1 inch of compost.
• Divide perennials and herbs.
• Till and add organic matter to annual/vegetable beds.
• Pick peas often to encourage the plants to produce more.
• Store your fertilizer and seeds in a rodent-proof container.
• Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees.
• Pests to watch for: Asparagus beetle, aphids, birds, cabbage worms, corn borer, corn earworm, cutworms, rabbits, deer, and tomato hornworm.
• Diseases to watch for: Apple scab, Cedar-apple rust. fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases.
• Here are some more UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips.

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Lawns

• Fertilize your lawn and re-seed if needed.
• Apply fertilizer and lime to turfgrass based on soil tests.
• Cool season lawns go dormant in hot, dry weather – Do Not Water.
• Water established lawns deeply but infrequently!
• Divide ornamental grasses.
• Mow in the early evening and cut off no more than one-third of the grass height at a time. Leave clippings on the ground to improve water clarity.
• Mow grass at 3 inches and leave the clippings on the lawn.
• Mow zoysia grass at 2″.
• Fertilize turf only if week. Apply 1 lb. N/1000 sq. ft.
• Calibrate your spreader before fertilizing!
• Control wild onions in warm season turf with broadleaf weed control.
• To control crabgrass, apply pre-emergent herbicide to lawn (when forsythia blooms drop).
• Do soil preparation – add lime, compost, etc. as needed.
• Clean yard of leaves and other debris.
• Mulch bare areas.
• Apply grub control to your lawn.
• Sharpen your lawnmower blade.
• Check and tune-up power equipment (mowers and trimmers).
• Turn your compost pile.
• Diseases to watch for: brown patch, and red thread
• Pests to watch for: Grubs
• See UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.

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Indoors/Houseplants

• Force the buds on Christmas cactus by placing in a cool (55-60 degree) room for 13 hours of darkness.
• Pot up Paper Whites and Amaryllis for holiday blooming.
• Re-pot the houseplants you’ve moved outdoors for the summer.
• Lightly fertilize indoor plants.
• Re-pot root-bound houseplants and start fertilizing them when new growth begins.
• Mist indoor plants and set up pebble trays to increase humidity.
• Deadhead flowering plants.
• Scan houseplants for insect activity.
• Maintain moisture in pots, but do not overwater!
• Give your houseplants a quarter turn every few weeks.
• Keep all houseplants out of drafts and away from heat vents.
• Keep succulents and cacti on the dry side.
• Check on your container plants daily and keep them well-watered.
• Remove old leaves, damaged stems.
• Dust your houseplants with a slightly damp cloth to prevent dust and film build-up.
• Pests to watch for:  aphids, spider mites, mealybug, scale, stinkbugs, and whitefly.
• See UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more information.
  

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Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips

• Look for slug trails in the early morning and put out Sluggo bait as needed.
• If you find slug damage, set out beer traps or Sluggo pellets.
• Hand-pick or cut out any bagworm cocoons.
• Hand-pick Japanese Beetles or shake them off over a bucket of dishwater. Early morning is a good time to catch them, while they are still drowsy.
• This is the perfect time to apply grub control.
• Keep cutworms off newly planted edible seedlings by surrounding the seedlings with a collar cut from a plastic bottle or cardboard tube.
• Caulk and seal your outside walls to prevent insect entry into your home.
• Check indoors for termites and ants.
• Put up birdhouses.
• Put suet out for birds.
• Keep bird feeders clean and filled and provide a source of water.
• Clean out your hummingbird feeders and add new sugar-water every three days.
• Leave hummingbird feeders out until October 15.
• Wash out birdbaths daily with diluted bleach solution.
• Switch your deer deterrent spray. Re-apply after heavy rains.
• Set out traps for mice, moles, and voles.
• Watch for: eggs, larvae, carpenter ants, flies, stink bugs, termites, rabbits, raccoons, groundhogs, deer, mice, moles, snakes, squirrels, and voles.
• For more information, see UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips.

Source: University of Maryland’s Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) and the Washington Gardener.

See more tips from HGIC:

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Natives at Noon: Lunch & Learn Webinar Series

Hello! I’m your host, Lisa Kuder, from UMD Extension. Join us on the first Wednesday of each month from noon to 1 as we delve into various topics related to native plants. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned professional, this series provides an opportunity to expand your knowledge and engage with experts in the field. Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists, these sessions are an excellent way to earn Continuing Education Units. Although the presentations are free of charge, registration is required to attend. Don’t miss this chance to enhance your understanding of native plants while enjoying your lunch. Register to attend one or more of the live only sessions:

Oct 7th—Sacred Grounds: Moving from Behavior to Action by Growing Joy

Nov 4th—Creating Food Forest

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Montgomery Parks – Events

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Harvest Festival

Saturday, October 3, 2026

11 am to 4 pm

Location:

Agricultural History Farm Park
18400 Muncaster Road
Derwood, MD 20855

Fee: $20/car (cash only)

Come join us for a fun-filled fall day at the Farm Park with traditional crafts, activities, music, and food during our Annual Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 3!

https://montgomeryparks.org/events/harvest-festival

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Fall Footprints

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

1:00PM – 2:00PM

Location:

Agricultural History Farm Park
18400 Muncaster Road
Derwood, MD 20855

Fee: $5.00

Age Range: All Ages

Come join us this Fall for a fun walk around the farm park to see the beautiful autumn colors! Friendly guides will show you parts of the park you might not have seen before or that look different in the Fall, while sharing a bit of the site’s vast and remarkable history. We walk at a leisurely pace, along natural trails that encircle the Farm Park’s beautiful landscape.

We will walk in almost all kinds of weather. If the weather is really bad, we will send an email to let you know if the walk is canceled. Please check the weather and wear clothes that fit the day.

We will meet at by the Ag Services Building. When you get to the park’s main road, continue straight towards the modern building and park in one of the paved lots. The walk is easy and slow, but bring water and be ready to walk on natural paths that might be uneven.

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Location:
Brookside Gardens
1800 Glenallan Avenue
Wheaton, MD 20902

Guided Mindfulness Walk – “Self-Care in Nature:

Sunday, October 4, 2026 | 10 to 12 pm | Ages 18+ | $28 | Brookside Gardens

American Public Gardens Association – Regional Learning Series

Friday, October 16, 2026 | 8:00AM – 4:30PM | Fee: Member Price: $99 |

Non-Member Price: $199 | Student Member Price: $50

Outdoor Guided Walk for Families: Gardening for Beginners

Sunday, October 18, 2026 | 10:00AM – 11:00AM | Fee: $10.00

Birdability Week – Beginning Birding for Every Body!: Thursday, October 22 & Sunday, October 25 | Various Times | Ages 18+ | $7

Make & Take – Pumpkin Bird Feeders: Saturday, October 24 | 10:30 am to 12 pm | Ages 6+ | $10

Glory of Fall Garden Tour

Tuesday, October 27, 2026 | 1:00PM – 2:30PM  | Fee: $12.00 | Age Range: Ages 18 and up

Chrysanthemum & Conservatory Tour

Friday, October 30, 2026 | 10:30AM – 11:45AM | Fee: $12.00 | Age Range: Ages 18 and up

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Fall and Winter Garden Vegetables with Master Gardeners

Gaithersburg Library
18330 Montgomery Village Ave.
Gaithersburg, MD 20879

Saturday, October 17: 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Fall and Winter Garden Vegetables with Master Gardeners – at Gaithersburg Library

Whether you’ve been a native plant enthusiast for years or are just starting, come learn ways to improve the habitat value of your garden! A continuation of last month’s talk but new commers welcome!

Join Bonita Condon from the Master Gardeners of Montgomery County Cooperative Extension Service as she talks about fall and winter gardening topics such as what crops can be planted during this timeframe, harvesting hardy summer crops, composting essentials, and protecting enriching your soil during fall and winter.

About Bonita Condon:

Bonita is an avid vegetable gardener, loves perennials, and combats non-native invasive species in Montgomery County parks and grasslands. As a Maryland Master Gardener she volunteers at demonstration gardens, plant clinics, children’s’ gardening events, and she lectures on a variety of gardening topics, such as Sweet Potatoes and Making Gardens Accessible.  Her special interests include working with individuals with mobility limitations, raised garden beds, and tools that accommodate special needs.  After retiring from the Federal Government, Bonita now works at Montgomery County Child Welfare Services.

Questions about this program? Contact the Gaithersburg Library at 240-773-9490.

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Documentary Screening: Bird Walk

Gaithersburg Library
18330 Montgomery Village Ave.
Gaithersburg, MD 20879

Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with this screening of “Bird Walk” a documentary short about the grassroots campaign that helped preserve a defunct golf course as a public park.

Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day!

Join us for a screening and discussion of the documentary “Bird Walk,” produced by local filmmaker Cintia Cabib. Discover how an abandoned golf course in Rockville, Maryland became an oasis for birds and birders.  Learn about the grassroots campaign that helped preserve the 131-acre site as a public park and critical bird habitat.

Cintia Cabib will present and discuss the film.

Watch the trailer and learn more about the film at www.birdwalkfilm.com.

About the Filmmaker

Cintia Cabib is an independent producer, videographer and editor. Her documentaries have aired on public television stations nationwide and have been screened at numerous venues throughout the U.S. and abroad.  Cintia’s films shine a spotlight on local people, places, and history. Her documentaries include “Kindred Spirits,” a portrait of two accomplished but unsung Black women artists; “Labyrinth Journeys,” an exploration of an ancient symbol and structure and its significance to the people who use it as a tool for meditation and rehabilitation; and “A Community of Gardeners,” a tour of seven Washington, D.C. community gardens and the diverse group of individuals who tend their plots.

Questions about this program? Contact the Gaithersburg Library at 240-773-9490.

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