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"October" October is the treasurer of the year,
And all the months pay bounty to her store;
The fields and orchards still their tribute bear,
And fill her brimming coffers more and more
But she, with youthful lavishness,
Spends all her wealth in gaudy dress,
And decks herself in garments bold
Of scarlet, purple, red, and gold. Excerpt from the poem "October" by Paul Laurence Dunbar |
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"Easy on the Environment"Monday, October 6 @ 6:30 pm The South Lyon Area Garden Club invites you to attend this special meeting featuring well-known garden expert and author Janet Macunovich! Learn about soil preparation, pest management, paving materials, and plant choices that are easy on the environment. Space is limited! |
Monday, October 20 at 6:30 pm Advanced Master Gardener Lori Smith will teach us the fundamentals of fall clean-up and how to prepare a new or existing garden bed for spring. Learn what native perennials to plant at this time of year to assist our Michigan pollinators and butterflies during the next growing season. Lori Smith has been gardening all her life. For the last 25 yrs she has specialized in Native Plant Gardening & raising Monarch Butterflies. In Feb 2023, she traveled to Mexico to see the Monarch Butterflies come out of hibernation. |
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It's October! The LTPL Seed Library is open for business all year long with seasonally appropriate seeds added on an ongoing basis. The mission of the seed library is to promote gardening and encourage sustainability through seed saving. The seeds are available at no cost to you. Although it is not required, we hope that you will attempt to save seeds from your crops and return them to the seed library to help keep it self-sustaining. To use the seed library, simply make your selections and log your initials and number of packets taken on the clipboard. The clipboard and instructions are on top of the Seed Library cabinet.
Gardening handouts are available at the Seed Library and also on the LTPL Grows Webpage, along with informative videos! |
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In October: - Prepare to cover your garden crops and flowers if frost threatens.
- Sow seeds outdoors for cool-weather, fast-growing fall vegetable crops, including greens, turnips, and radishes. Visit the LTPL Seed library and check for seeds you might need.
- Toward the end of October, plant garlic cloves and shallots for harvest the following year. Plant your flower bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.
- Remove spent crops, remembering to bag up plants that are diseased (think tomato blight) or insect infested (think squash vine borer) and burn or throw them away rather than composting them. Clean up the area, and add compost to rejuvenate the soil for the next crop. Plant a cover crop if you are done gardening in that spot for this year.
- Collect leaves and grass clippings from untreated lawns and use them to add organic matter to your beds. Shredding the leaves helps them break down faster.
- Seed-saving continues into October. Allow your non-hybrid tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, and squash to fully ripen on the plant or vine. Make sure correct seed-saving practices have been followed to keep them pure.
- Cure your harvested winter squash, gourds, and pumpkins in a dry, frost free spot so they develop a strong rind to keep them in good condition during storage.
- Move your cured onions and garlic to cold, dark storage to prevent them from premature sprouting.
- Start acclimating houseplants that have been summering outdoors to indoor life. This is best done before the heat goes on so they make the adjustment before the dry winter air commences. Check the plants and soil for bugs and yes, toads.
- Information and online resources for starting and saving seed can be found on the LTPL Website.
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100+ botanical cocktail recipes!
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Small batch preserving that is stored in the refrigerator or freezer. |
Michigan Gardener Magazine no longer publishes a print magazine. You can still visit the Michigan Gardener website for occasional new articles and the calendar, and browse through digital back issues of the print magazine and newsletters. |
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Find more information on LTPL Grows and other resources! |
Visit and "like" for gardening news, tips and upcoming events. |
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