Welcome to October in my Ohio garden! This October garden tour & update shares what is still growing in the garden, some variety highlights as well as challenges and upcoming projects in the garden.
I am growing in Zone 6a (first frost date of approx. mid-Oct.), mid-western Ohio, and focus on growing things I love to eat (vegetables, fruits & herbs), with flowers thrown in primarily for the pollinators & beneficial insects.
I’m glad you’re here!
Related videos:
Cool season cover crops to plant in the fall: https://youtu.be/wURdgSVRpFU
Best way to summer sow carrots: https://youtu.be/Vmkb8njZ2f0
All-America Selections website: https://all-americaselections.org/
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Hortisketch Garden Planner and Garden Manager (use my code JENNA5 for $5 off) – https://gardensavvy.com
North Spore Premium Mushroom Starting Supplies (use my code GROWFULLY for 10% off):
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My favorite, long-lasting seed starting trays: https://allaboutthegarden.com/?sca_ref=3177483.OMdSez9uOx
A.M. Leonard Horticultural Tool & Supply: https://amleo.idevaffiliate.com/184.html
HISEA Gardening Boots http://shrsl.com/41ell
Lomi Composter: https://lomi.sjv.io/e43XYz
Dripworks Irrigation: https://www.dripworks.com/?ref=Growfully
Omlet Chicken Coops and Supplies: https://www.omlet.us/shop/chicken_keeping/?aid=KTYTQCQR
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RX Soil Testing (use my code “growfully” for 10% off your order): https://rxsoil.com/nutrients?source=growfully
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Hey Jenna I garden up in Euclid Oh., a zone 6 area. It is a community garden and we have a couple of hazel nut bushes that are producing about 3 years after planting in. The fall colors are a bright red. Also a plum variety that at this time I have no info. on, but it produced a heavy return of fruit. I will send info about that tree within 2weeks time. I have seen a hairless kiwi, that looks like a grape size and also a bush type that can be prune out. You translate some quality info. Keep Trucking you do a good service to hungry ears. Steve L.
I didn't realize that AAS Winners had its own web site! What was I thinking? Of course they have a website. It's not the 20th century after all!
Huge winners for me in the cherry tomato variety were Sunrise Bumble Bee and Chocolate Pear; great performers were the San Marzano and Rainbow beefsteak (can’t quite recall the exact name) 6b here in Charleston WV!
It sounds like Climate Change is making your gardening life tough.
I'm in southern Indiana & I have a lot of the keeled tree hoppers (tried to figure out the name but couldn't ever figure it out, so ty!) I usually notice them on my sunflowers. I've never seen them on peppers. I never noticed any damage so I had never tried to get rid of them so I don't know about anything that works to kill them.
That pumpkin was smiling up at you. I swear it looked like a face. And I’m coveting your beets. I can never seem to get mine past the seedling phase in my stock tanks. Last year in frustration I just dumped a packet of old seeds in a part of our yard that was a work in progress and also sowed some buckwheat. When I was cleaning up the buckwheat I found about 15 decent size beets which were partially eaten by a ground critter. I wanted to cry.
I was super excited to see the October Tour vid. My nerdy self has been waiting for this one. I'm sure you're already familiar with the Birdies Raised Beds, but just in case, I'm betting you could find the sizes you want for replacements. For the critter traps, Made2Catch has a rat trap that should do nicely. It's a standard spring style, but the entire thing is made of galvanized steel, and it's literally got teeth, so watch your fingers. Or you could get a cat or five.😁 My garden is pretty much done for the year, and I"m getting ready to expand a bit, so nothing will be done other than the building. I am, however, taking care of a friend's garden, and we've taken some cues from you, and built some eighteen inch high mounds, about thirty feet long, and growing some cool weather crops in those. We built some shorter versions for tomatoes this summer, mostly to keep things up out of the water that tends to drench the space, and the tomatoes were absolutely insane this year. Gotta thank you for that idea. Thanks for the video. Can't wait to see what you have next.
We saw the leaf hoppers for the first time this year as well on our eggplants, I didn't notice the larva, just the adults. For a perennial disease free plant how about a persimmon? Maybe not looking for a tree but we grew a Nikita's Gift persimmon at our previous property and it was a beautiful, super low maintenance plant that we got a ton of fruit on year 3. Only downside is it is borderline planting zone wise for us so might want some protection. Thanks again for the tour!
Tap in some rebar around the existing boards to help pin them in place and then wrap in the metal you mentioned. You definitely want to do what you can to stabilize those boards if they are going to stay in place. That's what I would do in your position.
I picked most of my remaining green tomatoes tonight. We might get a frost near Cleveland later this week. But honestly, these plants were really far gone, and I’m tired. It’s time to wrap things up for the year.
I had the same problem with beds that coming apart and bowling after about four years. My husband added corner supports. And then cross boards with heavy screws to address the bowing. They are two more years in and doing well still. It would be a good solution for you!
Loved the tour. Do this every year please
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Dear Jenna: Love your content. If you're going to replace your raised beds – dig down 6" and line the darn things with gopher wire (aka 1/4" hardware cloth or wire mesh). Then you don't have to work so hard to kill off or drive off the critters – they won't be able to get to your plants. It worked for me when I was gardening in a Zone 5 garden in Denver, CO, and I'm pretty sure it will work for you, too. Although, you may have to cage the beds on top, too – which you can accomplish by staking hardware cloth over wire hoops or making hardware cloth "skirts" like Christmas tree skirts around your precious darlings. There was only two beds that I dug down a full foot – so I could grow deep-rooted carrots, parsnips, and large indeterminate tomatoes. It works a treat and it's not very expensive. Best of luck!
In October in southern Ohio things are still producing but slowing down. I have my tomatoes that are nearly finished. My peppers are still going strong. My fall batch of beets & cucumbers are finishing up. The night temps have been dipping into the high 30’s so I know the end is near for my season. I’m still gonna try growing lettuces and spinach in my hoop house well into the winter. At least until it becomes way too cold for them. It’s been a good productive year though. I’ll be excited to start my seeds again for next season!
I'm so sorry you're dealing with the herbicide drift spray but I'm so glad you mentioned it on your previous garden tour because my husband & I are really wanting to move to a home with a larger property. (Away from neighbors, with a prettier view, etc.) & almost considered moving to a property that had a lot of corn fields are around, because of it being the only one with more property in our budget. I'm so glad I didn't! To have that devastation with my edible & landscaped gardens, would have been heartbreaking!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR VIDEOS, I AM 64 AND NEVER FARM OR GROWN FLOWERS. IT A TEST FOR ME AND MY LADY FRIEND… i ALSO BUILDING A SANCTUAR FOR THE POLLINATORS, HOW COOL. KENTUCKY
Brassicas are suffering from bugs
Worms 4 kinds plus aphids
Will use netting next year
Heat and drought were the big problems in my garden this season. Tomatoes did great but everything else was stresses and poor producing here in southern Alberta, Canada. Your garden is beautiful! Great content and information. Thanks.
I am definitely going to try those Ruby Moon Hyacinth Beans next year. They are gorgeous! I am in the process of clearing beds to make way for garlic. My absolute favorite crop to grow ❤ I will also try to over winter some onions. I wish I had more space to put all the different pollinators/flowers like you have in your garden. I did grow more self-sowing flowers, hoping they will make a comeback next year – bachelor buttons, lunaria, cleome and bread seed poppies. My comfrey has taken off and it doing well and I have Miss Willmott’s Ghost popping up everywhere.
Always taking notes and looking up stuff (keeled leaf hopper) from your videos. Sorry to hear about herbicide drift. Fortunately not an issue here in the Vermont woods. One new problem is "asian jumping worms" Look like a night crawler on steroids. They out compete european worms and hurt soil. Saw my first 2 last week. Adults dont survive freezing, but egg cocoons do. God there is always some new problem. Your enthusiasm is an inspiration. Kind Regards. Craig
All our old wood beds start to rot after 4-5 years. We have been rebuilding with treated frames and reclaimed metal barn roofing. I can send pictures if you’d like to see them.
hi Jenna, I am growing fall garden for the first time I'm also in zone 6a and we r going on vacation next week? I fear frost while I'm gone until Oct. 26th ? should I put up frost protection before I go on my cauliflower broccoli and chard? thank you sooo much!
I keep my sunflowers after they have faded so the birds can enjoy the seeds. It's so enjoyable to work out in the garden on a nice crisp fall day and hear them chatter as they eat the seeds. Most of my warm weather vegetables are done in my 5b garden. We had unusually warm weather until late last week but that abruptly ended. Now it is on to harvest the apples and clean out the beds for winter. This was a tough year with drought most of the growing season.
Nice! I live in the Cleveland area, the only fall crop I have growing now is my winter clover ground cover. Lol!
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences in the garden. My squash was decimated by mildew. Next year I am trying more mildew resistant varieties. Any suggestions? Also, what grade of frost cloth are you using? We had drought last year in Zone 6b NY Lower Hudson Valley and this year epic rain — heirloom tomatoes literally burst on the vine. I've built a new fenced-in garden this year to keep the deer out and so crops were planted really late. So far no frost in the 10-day forecast so I am hoping it will be relatively warm for the next few weeks. I have a big dahlia collection so every day there isn't a frost is one more day to enjoy them.
Jenna I am following you faithfully dont know how else to ask this question and maybe you have done this already is it too late to use your fave daikon radish if not how to plant for cover crop?
Growing up my dad always used a big bucket, filled it half way with water, put the ramp up it like yours, but would use peanut butter on a rolling pin that was duck taped to the top. It isn’t a live trap, but it was very effective!
The absolute best zone 6 educational video. Thank you so much for your hard work! With ❤ from ky!