Fall is OUR ABSOLUTE BEST TIME for planting veggies, trees, and just about everything else! It just feels good! Here are our top to-do’s in the garden this month. PLUS – to kick off October, James Gill is giving a Garden Talk this Saturday, October 1!
Check out our October Garden Guide for more tips and remember that trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted 12 months out of the year! The only difference is the amount of water they need depending on temperatures and wind.
1. Don’t Miss James Gill’s Garden Talk!
Join us this Saturday, 10/1/22 at 10am for James’ fall gardening Q&A. James is mostly retired these days, which means he has more time to surf and share gardening wisdom with all of us! Bring your plant questions, or just come listen and learn. One attendee will win a $100 Gill’s gift card 🙂
2. Plant Food
Some of the best… Broccoli, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Cabbage, Carrots, Beets, Radishes, Cilantro, Nasturtiums, and the list goes on. Remember – veggies are heavy feeders. We recommend feeding with organic Plant Tone on the 1st of each month, and again with liquid Hasta Gro on the 15th.
Watch: Coastal Bend Veggie Gardening Guide
3. Plant Fall Flowers
Take advantage of the weather while the days are still long. It’s the perfect time to start cool weather Impatiens, Marigolds, Snapdragons, Violas, Petunias, Calendula, Begonias – the flowers and colors that say, “FALL!”. Warm days help flowers develop roots so they can look their best during the cooler months ahead.
4. Feed Your Lawn + Prevent Weeds
Fertilizing this month helps develop strong roots for healthy growth next Spring and Summer. We recommend organic Medina Growin’ Green or our Gill Lawn & Garden Fertilizer. Both can be used in all areas of your landscape. Prevent weeds in your lawn by applying Weed Beater Complete or Crabgrass & Weed Preventer.
Read: Fall Lawn Care
5. Plant for Hummingbirds and Migratory Birds
Right now is a great time to plant all kinds of blooming plants that hummingbirds and other migratory birds need. Some of our favs for South Texas are native Flame Acanthus (aka hummingbird bush), Salvias (like native Salvia greggii and Salvia leucantha), Cape Honeysuckle, native Turk’s Cap, native Beautyberry, native Loquat, Firecracker plant, Coral bean – the list goes on!
6. Plant Trees for The Best Head Start
We’ll say it again… it’s all about growing roots. Trees planted in Fall grow more next Spring & Summer. Live Oak, Burr Oak, Magnolia, Anacua, Cedar Elms, & Wild Olive are some of our South Texas fav’s.
Eileen Champine says
I have a HUGE staghorn fern growing on one of my mesquite trees. It is so HUGE that I am afraid it is too much weight for the tree to bear. Would like to trim it down. If Mr. Gil or an employee would like to come and get much of the fern by leaving me a much smaller patch, I would appreciate it.
james gill says
post a photo and offer here if you like
https://www.facebook.com/pg/gillnurserycc/posts/?ref=page_internal
james gill says
Mesquite is very strong wood, I doubt that the 100-200 pounds of a really big fern would be a problem. But if you want to trim down your fern, take a photo and make an offer to others that see our Facebook page. It’s not economically feasible for me to harvest, mount, regrow, and retail on a commercial basis. But it is a good opportunity for a fern enthusiast for their home, or to make gifts for their friends.