October is one of the loveliest months in the Santa Fe area. The days are getting crisp but not too cold. There are still a few spots of color in the garden but the need for work in the garden has slowed way down. It’s a time to enjoy the outdoors before the chill of winter approaches. But just so you don’t think there’s nothing more to do, let me suggest a couple of projects.
A Bit More about Bulbs – Last month I suggested that bulbs should be a part of all home gardens. Just in case you haven’t bought any bulbs yet, do head to your favorite nursery and get some soon. October weather is perfect for planting bulbs. Don’t be afraid that it might be too much work, bulbs are easy to plant, especially many of the minor bulbs. I’ve already planted most of my bulbs since I’m in a zone 4 area so let me describe some of my combinations. I planted Crocus speciosus (Fall Blooming Crocus) among my Cerastium tomentosum (Snow in Summer). The silvery leaves persist after a hard frost and will look nice as they support the violet blooms of the crocus. These bulbs are small so I used a dibble planting tool to poke holes and drop in the bulbs.
Along a stone pathway, I combined daffodils that will naturalize with red and yellow wildflower tulips that grow to about 4 inches in height. I dug four oblong holes about six inches deep. I put the daffodils in first, added about 2 inches of soil and then put my tulips in on top of the daffodils. In the spring, I will add perennials along this pathway and their foliage will hide the leaves of the daffodils and tulips when they’re done blooming. Tulipa tarda, a very short, spreading yellow tulip that blooms in early spring went in along the edges of the same path.
I tucked Allium caeruleum (Blue Ornamental Onion) among peach colored daylilies. They should be in bloom at about the same time. These were tiny so I again used my dibble. Allium christophii (Star of Persia) went into a perennial border in a fairly tight clump among some Salvia nemerosa "Blue Hill." This large pinkish lavender Allium has spectacular blooms that dry beautifully.
Sheet Mulching – Fall is the best time for improving the soil in a new flower bed, the vegetable garden, or any planting area where there are few existing plants. Sheet mulching is easy and provides amazing results next spring as it improves the soil and chokes out weeds. Sheet mulching is done in layers of carbon (brown) and nitrogen (green) materials much the same as your compost pile. Start with a layer of green materials such as manure, grass clippings, or plant material (no weeds with seeds). Wet this layer. Next, spread newspaper 4 to 6 layers thick or a single sheet of corrugated cardboard and wet this layer. Add a thick layer of manure, about 6 to 12 inches and wet it. The last layer should be a carbon material and straw works very well. A flake of straw is about the right thickness and it should be wet.
During the winter, if there is not adequate snow, water your mulch to facilitate decomposition. Next spring, turn what’s left into your soil. You’ll be amazed at the nice texture of the soil and how much your plants will like it.