Between icy frosts and scorching heat, our wonderfully temperate Central Texas Fall and Spring seem to be prime gardening times.  And Fall has finally arrived!

October is a wonderful month to plant native perennials and shrubs.  Flowering Kale and Cabbage can be planted now for cool weather color.  Also, notice how the native wildflowers are going to seed as the cooler temperatures arrive.  Now is the time to spread your own packets of Texas wildflower seeds! 

If you have Irises, October is a good time to divide the bulbs and share them with friends!  Dig up your caladium tubers this month and store them in dry peat at no less than 50 degrees.  Try to keep the roots from touching. 

Near the end of October as even cooler weather really arrives, you may think about planting some Pansies and Snap Dragons. 

If you are want to start a fall vegetable garden, this is a perfect month to plant greens and lettuces as well as carrots and beets.  You may also want to plant sweet peas.  Provide a trellis to support them though.  Check with the McLennan County Texas AgriLife Extension office at 254-757-5180 or mclennan@ag.tamu.edu for more crop ideas. 

Be sure to prepare for the winter now by fertilizing and composting!  Keep Waco Beautiful will hold it's Fall Compost and Mulch Sale on October 21 & 22 at the Cameron Park Zoo overflow parking lot.  Check out our News & Events page or call our office 750-5728 for more information!

Into November, it will be time to clean your beds and get rid of pesky weeds that tend to hang around even in the winter and then take over in Spring.  If you haven't composted and fertilized, do it now!

Be sure to cut the spent blooms off of your mums as they fade to encourage more flowers. Take them out of the pots and plant them in the ground for color next year too!  By the middle of November, plant daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs.

Add plenty of mulch (which you purchased at KWB's October 22nd Compost/Mulch Sale) to your beds now to protect plants from the upcoming winter, 1" - 3" as needed. 

Look at all those beautiful fall leaves covering your lawn this month!  Why not rake them up so they don't smother your grass right now and use them to begin a new compost pile!  Wet it thoroughly and turn it periodically.  For more tips on backyard composting, call KWB (254-750-5728) or contact Heart of Texas Master Composters through their website at HOTMasterComposters.com.  They are a wealth of composting knowledge!

And with Thanksgiving coming, don't forget to use your own herbs from your garden in your Thanksgiving meal!  Yum!  Rosemary, sage, parsley......

As December arrives remember to keep your plants watered, even in these cooler temperatures as they will damage easier in a freeze when they are too dry.  And mulch!!! (if you haven't already)

Buy a Christmas tree shaped rosemary plant.  They are decorative and festive and smell wonderful.  Plus you can't plant it outside later!

Speaking of Christmas trees, why not buy a live tree this year and plant it outside after Christmas as well?  There are several native varieties, which will do fine right here in Central Texas.  Or if you prefer to visit one of local tree farms and chop your own tree, remember that the first Saturday in January, you can bring the tree to Paul Tyson field parking lot on Lake Air where KWB volunteers will mulch it for you and give you back the fragrant mulch to use in your own beds or use as potpourri in your apartment.  You'll also receive a native tree sapling to plant in your yard.

Hope your Fall gardening is fun and productive!  Let us know if we can help!  And don't forget the KWB Compost & Mulch sale on October 21st & 22nd!  (We will also have topsoil and humus for sale!)