Gardening Jobs for October

October is one of my favorite months of the year. The days are getting shorter and cooler. We get the best crisp Fall days in October! It’s finally spooky season, and the garden has slowed down quite a bit! But there is still much that can be done to prepare your garden for the cold months ahead. Much of it is clean up, but there are a few fun tasks that you will be rewarded with in Spring and beyond! Today, I am sharing gardening jobs you can do in October!

Plant garlic

In zone 8b, late October is the ideal time to plant garlic for a 2026 harvest. Be sure to pick a spot with full sun and loose, well-draining soil. Break your bulb apart, being sure to keep the papery skin intact on each clove. Plant each clove point-side up, 4-6 inches apart, and 1-2 inches deep. Once you have covered your cloves with soil, be sure to give the newly planted bulbs a good watering and cover the soil with about a 3-6 inch layer of organic mulch. Here in the PNW, we definitely don’t have a problem with rain scarcity, but if you are in an area where you don’t get much rain, be sure to water occasionally.

The Farmer’s Almanac website has a fabulous guide to garlic growing.

Mulch Fall/Winter crops

Now is a great time to mulch your other Fall/over-wintering crops as well. Mulching your crops will protect them from the damaging freeze/thaw cycle they experience this time of year. Mulch also suppresses weeds and helps retain moisture, and as it breaks down, it will also feed your soil! Use an organic mulch like leaves you’ve raked in your yard, straw (making sure it has not been treated with herbicides or pesticides), pine needles, woodchips, or compost!

Harvest any of your last frost-tender crops

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the first frost date in my zone is estimated to be around November 3rd. But you should always be keeping track of the weather if you still have frost-tender plants in the garden, like tomatoes (yes, I have harvested tomatoes into mid-October before!). It’s also important to get any squash or pumpkins harvested prior to the first frost for optimal storage life.

Divide your perennials

Now is the time to divide any overgrown perennials you may have around your garden. Dividing your plants revitalizes them and encourages more vigorous growth, helps the plant redirect energy into developing a stronger root system, and BONUS!, you get free plants out of it that you can place in other areas of the garden!

Perennials to divide in Fall:

Daylillies
Hostas
Ornamental grasses
Phlox
Bleeding Heart
Yarrow

Perennials to Avoid Dividing in Fall:

Peonies
Lavender
Asters

Finish garden clean-up

October is a great time to get stuck into the garden clean-up. I remove any dead or dying foliage from my perennials, I remove any spent plants from my raised beds, I get my beds mulched, make sure the lawn gets mowed at least a few times during the month, etc.

Gardening Jobs for October