October Gardening Checklist: Get Ready for Winter

October in the northern U.S. brings crisp air, falling leaves, and the first touches of frost. While the growing season is winding down in the northern states, there’s still plenty to do to protect your plants, prepare your soil, and set yourself up for success next spring.

We put together a quick checklist to help you through it.

• Pick any remaining tomatoes, peppers, squash, and root vegetables before the first hard frost.
• Consider harvesting herbs and drying them for winter use.

• October is the perfect time to plant tulips, daffodils, crocus, and hyacinths.
• Choose a sunny, well-drained spot and plant bulbs 2–3 times as deep as their height.

• Cut back perennials once their foliage dies down.
• Apply a layer of mulch to protect roots from deep freezes.
• Wrap young trees with burlap to prevent sunscald and damage from deer or rabbits.

• Pull up annuals and add them to your compost pile.
• Remove weeds so they don’t overwinter.
• Add compost or manure to enrich the soil for next year.
• Boost soil health before winter. After clearing beds, apply a dose of AgroThrive Fruit & Flower organic fertilizer. Its biologically active formula feeds soil microbes and helps nutrients break down over the winter months, giving you a head start in spring.

• Rake leaves or mulch them into the grass to provide nutrients.
• Apply a fall fertilizer to strengthen roots before winter. AgroThrive General Purpose is an excellent choice, since it adds fast-acting nutrients while building long-term soil health.

October gardening in the North is all about putting your garden to bed. A little work now, including feeding your soil with AgroThrive, means a healthier, more vibrant garden in the spring!