Gardeners Checklist: Here Is What to Do on the Week of Oct. 21

By Ron Kujawski

* Stay off lawns when they are frost covered. Grass plants are brittle when frosted. It is very easy to injure the crowns of plants when parking a reindeer-drawn sleigh or other vehicle on the grass. Treading on frosted grass is also a no-no.

* Water trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials that were planted this fall. Given the lack of rain of late, it is critical that these plants receive some moisture to promote root growth before the ground freezes. Watering once a week should be sufficient.

* Leave the spent plants of cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower in the garden through the winter. It has been reported that a parasite of the imported cabbage worm, a key pest of cabbage family plants, spends the winter in the cocoon stage on the old plants. In spring, the parasite will move onto the newly planted cabbage crop and be there to attack the cabbage worm when it arrives. I usually pull up old cabbage plants but this year I plan to leave them in place to see if that will help reduce problems with cabbage worms on next year’s crop.

* Label late blooming perennial plants. Late bloomers are among the last plants to emerge in spring. By labeling the plants now it is less likely that they’ll be inadvertently dug up in spring. 

* Shred leaves with a lawn mower. Rake the leaf bits and incorporate them into garden soils or start a separate compost pile with leaves only. Composted leaves, often referred to as leaf mold by those technically inclined, or black gold by those who favor eloquence, are great for use in potting mixes. Because of their high nitrogen content, grass clippings may be added to the compost pile to speed decomposition of the leaves.

* Store some shredded leaves in large garbage bags. These will not only make neat bean bag type chairs for the living room but will also provide a supply of mulch for next season’s flower and vegetable gardens.

* Surround the trunks of fruit trees with a cylinder of hardware cloth, leaving a half-inch space between the wire and trunk. Bury the edges of the wire cylinder in the ground about an inch or two. The wire keeps rodents from chewing on the trunks.

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Don’t ignore your house plants, especially those that have been moved back indoors after spending the summer outdoors. Inspect them carefully and frequently. Plants brought indoors often experience a serious pest outbreak, e.g., spider mites, aphids and mealy bugs. These outbreaks typically occur suddenly with large numbers of pests. Outdoors, wind, rain and predatory insects kept pests in check. Those checks are gone now that the plants are indoors.

One preventive measure is to apply a forceful spray of water to the undersides of plant leaves once or twice a week. Repotting in fresh soil is also a good idea since some pests inhabit the soil. At the first sign of pests, either spray the plants with insecticidal soap or make up a solution of a mild household soap. But, beware! I have been known to kill a plant with soap. Some plants are sensitive to soap. So now, if I’m unsure, I test the soap on a few leaves. If there is no apparent injury after a few days, I’ll spray the entire plant with the solution.

Ron Kujawski began gardening at an early age on his family's onion farm in upstate New York. Although now retired, he spent most of his career teaching at the UMass Extension Service. He serves on Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Advisory Committee. His book, Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook, is available here.