🍂October '24
A beautiful month, full of changes and surprises.
“I have been younger in October than in all the months of spring.”
Garden Chores in October
🧄 | 🧅 In late October it will be time to plant garlic and onion bulbs. These will overwinter and be ready for harvest next summer. Break apart garlic bulbs and plant individual cloves 6 inches apart, placing the blunt end down with the tips at soil level. For onions, plant bulbs with the tip up and exposed above the soil line. Avoid planting garlic in an area where any plant from the cabbage family grew the season prior. Use a light mulch (such as leaves or straw) to cover and protect the plants during winter. Remove most of the mulch in early spring and keep the beds well-weeded.
Our newsletter from a few years ago highlights how we plant our garlic. We’ve had more success with our onions in the last couple of years. The bulbs still aren’t as big as we’d like ‘em to be though.
🌷 October is a good time to plant spring flowering bulbs. In the past, we have planted our dahlias around this time and let them over winter. They did beautifully. Some folks suggest putting chicken wire over your plantings to discourage critters from digging up tubers and bulbs. Sounds wise to me!
🕵️❄️ Keep an eye on the weather and harvest any remaining summer produce before the first frost rolls in. Crops like beans, peppers, and tomatoes will die back with the first heavy frost. The same goes for herbs. Cut and dry/freeze any remaining herbs before it’s too late.
Timely Tips
🧊 October is the month to begin prepping for freezing nights that are surely in our future. Mulch and floating row covers are excellent resources to use to ensure harvests from your garden continue well throughout winter and even into spring.
👨🔬 The fall is the best time to take soil samples from your garden. Not all soil tests are created the same. Here is a lab I recommend: Crop Services International and in particular, their basic test: “Complete Soil”. It’s listed first on their site.
📔 Before you finally wrap up your summer garden, be sure and make notes in your garden journal about what you liked, what went right and what went wrong, hopes and dreams for next year, and what you want to do differently. This is important - For yourself and for the next generation. It’s up to us to teach them.
🌾 If you aren’t planting a fall garden, it’s not too late to plant a cover crop. Options dwindle the closer we get to winter. Check out this website, and particularly their page on Cereal Rye. It’s a great website and Cereal Rye is a great cover crop.
Living in Season
A seasonal chore for us each October is harvesting honey. However, there will be no honey harvest this year. The bees didn’t make it through last winter. I think they ran out of food and abandoned the hive. I’ve written about our bees in previous newsletters and how we raised them. I don’t think I would change anything, even after losing them this past winter.
More Letters on our Bees:
The Creed, the Bees, and a Reader's Favorite
🏡 In and Around our Garden - May 2023
A Fall Staple!
Butternut Squash Soup is a fall staple for our family. It’s warm and cozy. And it tastes like home.
Enjoy!
1 butternut squash
1 sweet onion
3 cloves of garlic peeled
1 can of pumpkin puree
1 cup of cream
1 cup of milk (or sub 1 can of coconut milk)
1/2 cup of apple cider
2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
Preheat oven to 425°
Peel and chop the butternut squash into chunks.
Cut the onion into pieces the same size as the squash.
Toss squash, onions, and garlic in olive oil to coat.
Roast in the oven until the squash is fork-tender and lightly browned.
Add roasted vegetables and stock to a high powered blender or put them into your soup pot and blend with an immersion blender.
Add all ingredients to your soup pot and stir on low heat.
Garnish with croutons, microgreens, and coconut milk. Serve with homemade sourdough bread.
Eating in Season
Wild persimmons are beginning to drop in north Alabama. Have you ever tasted one? A ripe wild persimmon has a unique, sweet flavor. Satsumas, my favorite citrus, will also begin to ripen in October.
Pumpkins, winter squash, and butternut squash will be at markets. This month will be the last call for summer crops like peppers, tomatoes, okra, and cucumbers. Greens like kale and collards should be hanging around for the next few months. It will also be the last call for apples. Visit an orchard, ask for “seconds” and get a discounted price on a bushel of apples. Then, go make some apple butter!
🌕 Lunar Calendar
October’s full moon, known as the Hunter's Moon, earned its name due to its historical association with signaling hunters to prepare for the approaching cold winter. During this period, animals typically started to fatten up in anticipation of the winter season. Furthermore, following the clearing of fields under the Harvest Moon, hunters found it easier to spot deer and other creatures foraging for remaining food scraps. Additionally, this time also marked the emergence of foxes and wolves, which prey upon these animals.
The earliest documented use of the term "Hunter's Moon" can be traced back to 1710, as noted in the Oxford English Dictionary. Some sources also propose alternative names for this moon, such as the Sanguine or Blood Moon, reflecting its connection to hunting or the changing autumn foliage.
This October, look for the full Hunter’s Moon on the night of October 17th.
Calendar of Firsts
A calendar of firsts serves as a meaningful tool to celebrate and connect with the ever-changing rhythms of creation throughout the year. Its purpose is to document and acknowledge the first occurrences of various events and natural phenomena that mark the transition of seasons. By recording the first blooming flowers, migrating birds, or changing foliage, individuals deepen their awareness of the subtle shifts that unfold in the natural world. This heightened observation cultivates a sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty and diversity of our environment. Moreover, a calendar of firsts invites us to engage in a deeper relationship with the natural world, fostering a sense of connection, mindfulness, and gratitude. It allows us to truly immerse ourselves in the present moment and develop a greater understanding of the intricate cycles that shape our lives and the world around us.
In this section each month, I’d like to offer examples of potential seasonal firsts you might encounter. Remember these are general examples for zone 7 in the southeast US. Specific occurrences will depend on your regional climate and conditions. Keeping a personal calendar or journal will allow you to capture the unique experiences and observations of each month in your region.
📅 In October, look for the:
First fallen leaf with changing colors
First frost
First dip into the 30s
First appearance of migrating waterfowl in wetland areas
First bonfire
First scent of smoke from a chimney
Before you go!
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✎ If you are passionate about gardening or seasonal living, share it with our community and write for The Common! Email taylor@acommonlife.co for more information.
🎧 Morgan and I do a podcast. Listen here: A Common Life Podcast