After a long North Texas summer, October is a pretty welcome month in the garden. The temperatures are finally starting to head in the right direction, and there’s plenty you can do outside again without feeling like you’re going to melt.

This is a good time to get cool-season vegetables growing, clean out what summer left behind, and freshen up those flower beds for fall.

Get the Fall Garden Going

Don’t put the vegetable garden to bed just yet. Fall gives us another growing season here in Texas, and quite a few vegetables actually prefer the cooler weather.

Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, lettuce and spinach are all on the fall gardening list. Texas A&M AgriLife includes these among Texas’ frost-tolerant fall vegetables.

The trick with fall gardening is timing. Different vegetables have different planting windows, and some are better started from transplants while others can be seeded directly into the garden. That’s one reason we tell folks to pay attention to the weather and the particular crop instead of treating the whole fall garden the same way.

If you’ve got an open spot in the garden, there’s still plenty you can do with it.

Out With the Summer Garden

Not planting a fall garden? October is still a good time to get out there and clean things up.

Pull out old vegetable plants that have finished producing along with weeds and other garden debris. Texas A&M AgriLife recommends fall garden cleanup because old plant material can harbor insects and disease that create problems later.

Take a good look at plants as you remove them, too. Anything that looks diseased deserves a little extra attention rather than automatically tossing it into the compost pile.

A cleaned-up garden is easier to manage through the winter and gives you a much better starting point when spring rolls around.

Give the Flower Beds Some Attention, Too

The vegetable garden isn’t the only place that could use a little October attention.

Those summer annuals have worked hard through a Texas summer. As they start looking tired and reach the end of their season, clean them out and clear away weeds and debris. That gives you a clean slate for adding fall and winter color.

October is also prime wildflower-seeding time in Texas, according to Texas A&M AgriLife, so this is a good opportunity to think beyond the flower bed if you want wildflowers next spring.

A Little Work Now Makes a Difference

October gardening doesn’t have to turn into a major weekend project. Plant what you want growing through the cooler months, pull what has run its course, clean up the beds and enjoy being back outside.

And after the summer we’ve had, that last part might be the best part.

Need fall vegetable seed, garden supplies, or just want to make sure you’re planting at the right time? Stop by Johnson Feed and talk to us. We’re always happy to help you get your fall garden going.