KJFM NEWS — Garden Talk is produced monthly at the Adair County University of Missouri Extension Center in Kirksville, Mo.

Ornamentals

• Continue watering, especially evergreens if soils are dry.
• Nuts or seeds of woody plants usually require exposure to 3 months cold before sprouting. This may be provided by outdoor planting in fall or “stratifying” in an unsealed bag of damp peat moss placed in the refrigerator.
• Container grown and B & B trees and shrubs can be planted. Loosen the soil in an area 2 times the diameter of the root ball before planting. Mulch well after watering.
• Plant spring bulbs among hosts as, ferns, daylilies or ground covers. As these plants grow in the spring they will hide the dying bulb foliage.
• For best bloom later this winter, Christmas cactus, potted azaleas and kalanchoe may be left outdoors until night temperatures drop to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Spring bulbs for forcing can be potted up now and stored in a cool, frost-free place until it is time to bring indoors, usually 12 to 15 weeks.
• Cannas and dahlias can be dug when frost nips their foliage. Allow the plants to dry under cover in an airy, frost-free place before storage.
• Transplant deciduous trees once they have dropped their leaves.
• Plant tulips now.
• Trees may be fertilized now. This is best done following soil test guidelines.

Lawn

• Seeding should be finished by October 15.
• Broadleaf herbicides can be applied now to control cool-season weeds such as chickweed and dandelion.
• Continue mowing lawns until growth stops.
• Keep leaves raked off lawns to prevent smothering grass.
• Now is a good time to apply lime if soil tests indicate the need.
• Winterize lawn mowers before storage.

Vegetables

• Sow cover crops such as winter rye after crops are harvested.
• Harvest winter squash and pumpkins before frost. For best storage quality, leave an inch or two of stem on each fruit.
• Dig sweet potatoes before a bad freeze.
• Gourds should be harvested when their shells become hard or when their color changes from green to brown.
• A few degrees of frost protection may be gained by covering tender plants with sheets or light-weight fabric row covers.
• Continue harvesting tender crops before frost.
• The average first frost usually arrives about October 15-20.

Fruits

• Store apples in a cool basement in old plastic sacks that have been perforated for good air circulation.
• Persimmons start to ripen, especially after frost.
• Monitor fruit plantings for mouse activity and take steps for their control if present.
• Place wire guards around trunks of young fruit trees for protection against mice and rabbits.
• Fall color season begins.