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October Garden Tips

Hello Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Gardeners,

Fall is here, so it’s time to enjoy your fall crops this month! Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and videos for October. There are some online events, check out U.S. Botanic GardenMaster Gardeners of Montgomery County, and Maryland Gardens. A lot of gardening events are announced on Facebook and we share them on our Facebook page as well as on our mctgardenclub.org website. Some upcoming events include Farmers Markets, Fall Online Garden/Landscape Classes at Montgomery College, Smithsonian Garden’s Let’s Talk Gardens webinar series, Sandy Spring Museum Garden Club – Spooky Workshop, Garden Q & A, and more.


Master Gardener Plant Clinics

Ask a Master Gardener” Plant Clinics are returning to several county locations in Maryland. Bring your plant and gardening questions and get answers from Master Gardeners trained by the University of Maryland Extension. Check out the details in your county: https://extension.umd.edu/programs/environment-natural-resources/program-areas/home-and-garden-information-center/master-gardener-program/local-programs

Montgomery County Master Gardeners logo

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


Gardening Books
Visit our Gardening Books Resources page for gardening ideas.

Online Gardening Resources

online garden resources
Here are some online gardening resources focused on the MD/DC area:

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Online Garden-to-Table Recipes

There are many resources for recipes to make from your garden crops including seed companies, local farms, and online recipe cookbook catalogs. If you grow vegetables, these are very useful resources as the recipes feature the very plant you are growing. Here are few links to recipes you can make from your garden crops


We are so thankful for our local farms each and every day. During this challenging time, consider supporting your local farms, whether they farm produce, flowers, animals, or specialty. Our food supply is safe and secure, and many farms are continuing to offer delivery or curbside pickup.
#LocalIsTheNewNormal #BuyLocal

How to Support Farmers and Safely Shop at Farmers’ Markets

Montgomery County MD Food and Beverage Guide

The 2021 Montgomery County Online Searchable Food and Beverage Guide has arrived!

This year’s Guide lists over 70 MoCo Made food and beverage producers and farmers, with products ranging from honey to craft beverages to artisanal meats and more.

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Download Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture 2021 Farmers Market Flyer to find a farmer’s market near you.

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Support our local farmers! Shop at the #derwoodfarmersmarket!

Now it’s time for the Fall market and we are so ready! Derwood Fall Market at the Hines Garden on Oaklawn Farm. 18510 Muncaster Rd, Rockville, MD 20855. 9am to 1pm on Saturdays, rain or shine through November 20. 🍉🥤🍆What a great summer season!

Starting Sept 11th until November 20, the Derwood Fall season continues at Hines Garden on Oaklawn Farm… 18510 Muncaster Road. Your favorite farmers, plus brunch, lunch, pastries, smoothies, coffee, art, music… more! 🍅🥤🥦🍑🍉🥐☕️🎷🎸

Curbside Pickup will continue at this location! 9am until 1pm from September 11 – November 20 at 18510 Muncaster Road, Rockville 20855. We accept and provide Matching Dollars for EBT-SNAP, ​P-EBT, WIC and Seniors’ SFMNP. Catch us at Neighborhood Church for the 2022 spring season on April 23rd until September 3rd, 16501 Redland Rd, Rockville, MD 20855

Derwood Fall Market at the Hines Garden on Oaklawn Farm

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Flowers and Groundcovers

  • From mid-October through November, plant hardy bulbs for spring flowering.
  • You can still have vegetable garden and landscape soils tested.
  • Leave seedheads on Black-eyed Susans, Echinacea, Goldenrod, Sunflowers, and Thistles for the birds to enjoy over the winter.
  • Continue to divide and transplant perennials.
  • Sow wildflower seeds, such as California Poppies, for next spring.
  • 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.
  • After hard frost, sow seeds of spring-blooming hardy annuals and perennials, then mark beds.
  • Pinch out growing tips of leggy plants.
  • Pests to watch for: Aphids, 4-lined plant bug, spidermites, whiteflies, Deer, slugs, snails.
  • Diseases to watch for:  Powdery mildew.
  • 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

Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping


Science of Fall Colors

Aspen leafs: fall colors. Beaver Ranger District, Fishlake National Forest. (Forest Service Photo by Scott Bell)

https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/fall-colors/science-of-fall-colors

Trees and Shrubs

  • Remove fallen, diseased leaves.
  • Plant evergreens for winter interest.
  • Mulch or compost healthy leaves.
  • Plant evergreens for winter interest.
  • Look out for any Poison Ivy vines, which will turn crimson in the fall and be easy to distinguish from other vines.
  • Transplant trees when leaves begin to color.
  • If your conifers start shedding their needles or your spring bulb foliage starts peaking out of the ground, don’t worry. This is normal for our autumn cycle.
  • If you MUST mulch: Remove old mulch and then add 2″-3″ shredded pine or pine needles, keeping 3″ away from trunk.
  • Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like ground cover from under shrubs.
  • Soil test established trees that have not been performing well.
  • Put diseased leaves, pesticide-laden grass clippings and weed seeds out for recycling rather than the compost pile.
  • Spray with dormant oil to decrease pest infestations.
  • Remove dead and dying trees.
  • Pests to watch for:  Voles
  • Diseases to watch for:  Apple scab Cedar-apple, hawthorn or quince rust, Powdery mildew, Verticillium wilt, Oak leaf blister
  • For more tips, see UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.

Herbs, Veggies, and Fruit

cover crop

Protect fall veggies with row covers


University of MD Extension | Fall veggies grow better with some protection.

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/row-covers


Check out the Fall issue of Plenty Magazine. Thanks to Jane Perini and Wib Middleton for the dedication and craft they give to each issue.

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  • Pick pumpkins at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer’s market.
  • Harvest most fruit before frost.
  • Harvest sweet potatoes.
  • Plant garlic for the spring.
  • You can still have a vegetable garden and landscape tested.
  • Mulch strawberry beds for winter.
  • Remove finished plants.
  • Harvest your herbs often and keep them trimmed back to encourage leafy growth.
  • Pot up rosemary and chives for over-wintering indoors.
  • Cut herbs and flowers for drying indoors.
  • Remove rotting fruits from fruit trees and compost them.
  • Pick mature tomatoes and peppers to ripen on your window sills.
  • Plant 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.
  • Plant strawberries in a site with good drainage for harvest next spring.
  • Start planting fall crops.
  • Keep all transplants watered deeply for 2-3 weeks.
  • Harvest your herbs and keep them trimmed back to encourage leafy growth.
  • Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees.
  • Pests to watch for: Asparagus beetle, aphids, cabbage worms, cutworms, Deer, Japanese beetle, rabbits, woodchucks, birds.
  • Diseases to watch for: Damping off of seedlings, Fireblight of pears and apples, Fungal, bacterial viral diseases.
  • Here are some more UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips.

composting

Consider Composting Your Yard Waste

Instead of raking your leaves and having them picked up for recycling or trash, you can compost your yard waste. Your composted leaves will make a great nutrient-rich soil for your growing gardens and other areas in your yard. To learn where you can pick up a free compost bin click on link below.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/sws/composting/


Preparing your lawn for spring.

Delmarva Gardens October Edition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQoaczYApmM

Lawns

  • Apply fertilizer and lime to turfgrass based on soil tests and UME recommendations.
  • Plug aerate when the soil is moist.
  • Begin mowing leaves into turf to add organic matter and nutrients.
  • Fertilized tall fescue and bluegrass with 1 lb. Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.
  • Mow high to reduce weeds and stress: Fescue & Bluegrass: 3″ – 3 1/2″; zoysia grass at 2″
  • Have soil tested (every 3 years minimum).
  • Clean yard of all leaves and other debris.
  • Turn your compost pile.
  • The annual soil science calendars from the Natural Resources Conservation Service are both educational and beautifully done. The one for 202 as well as those for previous years are available as free PDFs here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/edu/?cid=nrcseprd1250008
  • Diseases to watch for: brown patch, and red thread
  • Pests to watch for: Grubs
  • See UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.

Indoors/Houseplants

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  • For readying poinsettia for holiday blooming, see this: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/poinsettias
  • Force budding of Christmas cactus by placing in a cool (55-60 degree) room for 13 hours of darkness.
  • Take cuttings of plants you want to overwinter inside and place in water.
  • Store Amaryllis in a cool, dark place and do not water until flower buds or leaves emerge.
  • Repot and fertilize houseplants when new growth begins.
  • Check on your container plants daily and keep them well-watered.
  • Rotate houseplants to promote even growth.
  • Remove old leaves, damaged stems.
  • Pinch out growing tips of leggy cuttings and plants that are overwintering.
  • Clean the leaves of your indoor houseplants to prevent dust and film build-up.
  • Pests to watch for:  aphids, spider mites, mealybug, scale, and whitefly.
  • See UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more information.

Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips

The American Bumblebee Has Nearly Vanished From Eight States

Judy Gallagher via Wikicommons under CC BY 2.0

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/american-bumblebee-has-vanished-from-eight-us-states-180978817/

Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org

Stink bugs can also be a nuisance in homes and buildings as they seek shelter in the fall much like Asian lady bird beetles and boxelder bugs. https://extension.umd.edu/reso…/brown-marmorated-stink-bug

Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org

  • Watch for insect and disease problems throughout your garden.
  • Check your plants at night with a flashlight for any night-feeding insects like slugs.
  • Look out for slug eggs grouped under sticks and stones. They are the size of BBs and pale in color.
  • Leave hummingbird feeders out until October 15th.
  • Put up birdhouses. 
  • Put suet out for birds.
  • Keep bird feeders clean and filled.
  • Switch your deer deterrent spray.
  • Caulk and seal your outside walls to prevent insects and wildlife from coming indoors.
  • Set out traps for mice, moles, and voles.
  • Watch for: carpenter ants, flies, mosquitos, 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.


Support Our Local Farmers – Join a CSA and have fresh local produce delivered to you!

CSAs are seeing record numbers of subscribers http://ow.ly/eiQT50zD5lW – find your farmer here: http://ow.ly/jbO250zD56M

Montgomery County Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

CSAs can take many forms, but essentially they are community supported farms in which members contribute to farming projects, usually by way of membership fees, in exchange for fresh, local produce. The concept came to the United States from Europe in the 1980s.  They are a great way to take advantage of fresh, locally grown fruit, vegetables, herbs, and more while supporting nearby farms. Each one is different, some offer pickup locations in urban areas, some offer only farm-based pickups.

There are multiple CSAs located around the County offering a wide variety of products. CSAs begin taking sign-ups for spring and summer seasons in the early part of the year, and they tend to fill up FAST! Know of another CSA not on our list? Let us know! Montgomery Countryside Alliance also maintains a list:

 http://www.mocoalliance.org/community-supported-agriculture.html


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Fall Online Garden/Landscape Classes at Montgomery College

Its Class time at Montgomery College. Janet Johnson will be teaching a great class on how to bloom and grow your Phalaenopsis Orchids. So if you would like to learn how to help your orchid plant thrive, please check out this class. This class is offered online, so you can take this class from the comfort of your living room. We focus on your questions and your needs. Montgomery College classes are open to everyone-so lets learn together! See the Fall schedule for garden classes at MC (upcoming classes listed below). Come and join this really fun class! Hope to see you there.

PERENNIALS FOR YOUR GARDEN – LLI 079

View Catalog Description & Prerequisites

Wed

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

10/20/21 – 10/27/21

FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR HOME – LLI 028

View Catalog Description & Prerequisites

Mon

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

11/15/21 – 11/22/21


Let’s Talk Gardens

Thursdays 12 to 1 p.m.

Smithsonian Gardens

Lets Talk Gardens October Speakers Panel
 “Grow” your gardening know-how! Our free online gardening program, Let’s Talk Gardens, covers a wide range of topics presented by our own professional staff, as well as guest speakers. No matter your level of gardening knowledge, there’s always something new to learn!

Let’s Talk Gardens, a free lunchtime webinar series on garden basics on Thursdays 12 to 1 p.m.

Our October topics and presenters are the following:

October 21 -Ask Us Your Garden Questions!

Speaker: Smithsonian Gardens’ Horticulturists – Sarah Dickert, Janet Draper, Christine Price-Abelow, Sarah Tietbohl, Erin Clark, and more

October 28 – Garden Allies: An Introduction to Life in the Landscape | Speaker: Frédérique Lavoipierre 

To learn more about these presentations visit: https://gardens.si.edu/learn/lets-talk-gardens/


Sandy Spring Museum Garden Club – Spooky Workshop

Sunday, October 24 at 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Sandy-Spring-Museum
Sandy Spring Museum
17901 Bentley Road
Sandy Spring, MD 20860

Donations

No ghosts allowed, but there will be lots of ribbons and bows. In this workshop, help with preparations for the Garden Club’s Holiday Greens Sale. Learn how to make many different bows of various sizes and shapes, and how to create the foam structures for various holiday greens decorations. Participants will also make other trimmings to brighten holiday greens. Costumes are optional and treats will be served. Everyone is welcome at this fun and educational workshop hosted by the Museum’s Garden Club.

Please contact gardenclub@sandyspringmuseum.org or call (301) 774-0022 if you have any questions.

https://www.sandyspringmuseum.org/event/garden-club-spooky-workshop/


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