Why October 1st is Gardening New Year

Happy October 1^st! Despite the Bay Area’s warm temperatures, it’s really starting to feel like fall. The days are noticeably shorter and there’s a subtle, spicy scent in the air. As summer winds down, we gardeners in the Western Hemisphere reflect on the growing season and start scheming for the next one. It’s Gardening New Year.

Just like the one in January, this new year involves resolutions, but they’re more fun and easier to keep. Examples might include growing spring bulbs, sowing annuals for all four seasons, moving plants around, and making design improvements.

Even with a tiny space like my balcony, I find my creativity flowing this time of year with lessons learned and new ideas. And there are lots of tasks to do in October, taking advantage of the last weeks of sun and warmth, to make sure my gardening resolutions come to pass.

Sow seeds (yes, in fall!)

Unless you live in a place with very harsh winters, there are cool-weather-loving annuals and vegetables you can sow now for fall, winter, and even spring. Traditional options include sweet peas, fava beans, arugula, and winter greens.

I’m sowing two native plants, Claytonia perfoliata and California poppies. The Claytonia will germinate when the weather cools down; it’s an edible, shade-loving green with satisfying circular leaves. The poppies should start growing now when it’s still warm, slow down over the winter, and bloom in the early spring. When they’re ready, I’ll plant them on the railing in full sun and pray (I didn’t have much luck with poppies last year; this year I’m taking a more mindful approach).

While seeds for spring and summer are typically started indoors in January or February, cool-season seeds can be started outside now. Here’s how I went about sowing my Claytonia and poppies:

Harvest and preserve herbs

To make way for all those poppies and Claytonia plants, I’ll harvest many of my herbs and clean out their pots.

My Genovese basil made a remarkable comeback in late summer thanks to the heat that finally arrived. Before it cools down, I’ll harvest all of it and make a big batch of pesto. Any leftover can be stored in the freezer.

I’m also planning to cut back and dry my Mediterranean herbs, including sage, oregano, thyme, and strawberry mint. While these are technically perennials, they’re all outgrowing their pots, so I’ve taken cuttings of the ones I want next year.

Plant tons of tulips

If you’re into spring-flowering bulbs, it’s time to obtain them. Order them online or find them at the garden center. After my love affair last year with “La Belle Epoque” tulips, I pre-ordered mine months ago.

While eagerly awaiting their arrival, I revisited my post about growing spring bulbs in the Bay. As tulips prefer a cold winter and we rarely get frost in Oakland, I have to refrigerate the bulbs for at least six weeks before planting. If you’re in a warm zone, my post explains how to do this in detail.

Around December, I’ll plant the bulbs into my larger railing planters. They love good drainage and full sun. Note to self: take measures to protect the bulbs from hungry squirrels and rats.

Propagate perennials from cuttings

I’ve already covered how and why to take cuttings of perennials in early fall in a recent post. It’s a wonderful way to keep growing your favorite plants in containers for free, forever.

In September, I took and planted cuttings of my strawberry mint, Agastache, salvia, catnip, and lemon geranium in a nursery six-pack. A few of those have already graduated to larger pots. Tip: don’t even think about potting up until you see roots poking out the holes in the bottom. Patience pays off.

Since then, I’ve taken even more cuttings- culinary sage, California fuchsia, and the dark purple Thai basil that the rats didn’t like. By early November, I expect to pot up all the successfully rooted cuttings and bring them indoors for the winter. 

And then, the only problem will be finding planters for them all! Which brings me to my final Gardening New Year’s resolution.

Rethink my planters

I stare long and hard at my plants and their containers at this time of year. When you’re working with such limited space, every plant should have a purpose, bring joy, or both. 

The success or failure of each plant meeting these criteria depends greatly on the size and location of their container, and the number of containers I can fit on the balcony and the ways I can arrange them are finite. So it becomes a bit of a puzzle. But a fun one!

My trees (olive, lemon, and fig) are all outgrowing their pots. I want taller, more space-efficient pots (did you know square pots hold more soil than round ones?), so I’ll be keeping an eye out for deals on these big ticket items between now and early spring, when they should all be re-potted.

It may also be time to say goodbye to plants that aren’t pulling their weight. For example, although I adore my Duchesse de Brabant rose, she will never be happy in a pot. Re-homing her would be the responsible choice. My fuchsia, although performing excellently this fall, takes up a lot of space that could go to a pollinator-friendly native.

By the end of the month I should make some decisions, because in the Bay Area, fall is a good time for re-potting most things. As the days shorten and new top growth slows, plants focus their energy down into their roots. This means healthier plants come springtime!

Happy Gardening New Year to you

Depending on the climate where you live, your resolutions may differ from mine. Our goal is the same: apply the lessons learned over the past year to the next one. We take stock of what worked and what failed; what we’ll do differently and what we’ll do more of.

I’m looking forward to the moment when the sowing, potting up, and planting are done, the rat droppings have been swept away, the young cuttings have been tucked into the windowsill, and I can cozy up with a gardening book and dream about flowers all winter. Until then, I’ll enjoy these last few busy weeks under the warm autumn sun.

Happy Gardening New Year!