Gardening tips by month
October gardening tips: what to prune, feed & protect
An October garden checklist built from our plant care guides. Garden jobs depend on your local frost dates, so tasks are grouped for cold, moderate and mild climates. Find yours below, then tap any plant for full step-by-step instructions.
October in cold winters (zones 3–5)
Pruning in October
- Butterfly bush: deadhead through summer (Sep 27 – Oct 11)
- Hazelnut / filbert: remove suckers (Sep 27 – Oct 11)
- Peony: cut to the ground in autumn (Oct 1–22)
Spraying & disease prevention in October
- Cherry tree: copper spray after leaf fall (Oct 15 – Nov 5)
- Peach / nectarine: peach leaf curl spray (after leaf drop) (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
Frost & winter protection in October
- Apple tree: trunk guards for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Apricot tree: trunk guards for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Arborvitae: deep-water before the ground freezes (Sep 24 – Oct 29)
- Asian pear: trunk guards for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Bigleaf hydrangea: protect flower buds over winter (Oct 22 – Nov 12)
- Boxwood: deep-water before the ground freezes (Sep 24 – Oct 29)
- Chestnut tree: trunk guards for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Garden mum: winter protection (Oct 22 – Nov 19)
- Hybrid tea rose: winter protection (Oct 22 – Nov 19)
- Kiwi vine: protect young trunks for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Pear (European): trunk guards for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Rhododendron: deep-water before the ground freezes (Sep 24 – Oct 29)
- Strawberry: winter straw mulch (Oct 22 – Nov 19)
Other care in October
- Apple tree: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Apricot tree: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Bearded iris: fall leaf cleanup (borer control) (Oct 8–29)
- Climbing rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Flowering dogwood: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Grapevine: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Hosta: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Hybrid tea rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Kiwi vine: harvest kiwis (Aug 20 – Oct 1)
- Medlar: harvest and blet medlars (Oct 1–29)
- Medlar: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Peach / nectarine: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Pecan tree: harvest pecans (Sep 17 – Nov 12)
- Pecan tree: pick up girdled twigs (Oct 1 – Nov 12)
- Persimmon: harvest persimmons (Sep 3 – Oct 29)
- Persimmon: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Quince: harvest quince (Sep 3 – Oct 1)
- Quince: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Shrub / landscape rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 1–29)
- Walnut tree: harvest walnuts (Aug 20 – Oct 1)
October in moderate winters (zones 6–7)
Pruning in October
- Peony: cut to the ground in autumn (Oct 25 – Nov 15)
- Rose of Sharon: remove seed pods (Sep 13 – Oct 11)
Frost & winter protection in October
- Arborvitae: deep-water before the ground freezes (Oct 18 – Nov 22)
- Boxwood: deep-water before the ground freezes (Oct 18 – Nov 22)
- Rhododendron: deep-water before the ground freezes (Oct 18 – Nov 22)
- Rosemary: winter protection (Oct 11 – Nov 1)
- Tangerine / mandarin: frost plan (Oct 11 – Nov 1)
Other care in October
- Apple tree: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Apricot tree: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Chestnut tree: harvest chestnuts (Sep 13 – Oct 18)
- Climbing rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Daylily: divide crowded clumps (every 3–4 years) (Sep 13 – Oct 4)
- Flowering dogwood: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Grapevine: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Hazelnut / filbert: harvest hazelnuts (Aug 30 – Oct 4)
- Hosta: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Hybrid tea rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Kiwi vine: harvest kiwis (Sep 13 – Oct 25)
- Medlar: harvest and blet medlars (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Medlar: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Peach / nectarine: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Pecan tree: harvest pecans (Oct 11 – Dec 6)
- Pecan tree: pick up girdled twigs (Oct 25 – Dec 6)
- Persimmon: harvest persimmons (Sep 27 – Nov 22)
- Persimmon: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Pomegranate: harvest pomegranates (Sep 13 – Oct 18)
- Quince: harvest quince (Sep 27 – Oct 25)
- Quince: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Shrub / landscape rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Strawberry tree: harvest the fruit (Oct 11 – Dec 6)
- Strawberry tree: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Tangerine / mandarin: harvest tangerines (Oct 11 – Dec 20)
- Walnut tree: harvest walnuts (Sep 13 – Oct 25)
October in mild winters (zones 8–10)
Pruning in October
- Almond tree: main prune after harvest (Sep 22 – Oct 20)
- Hybrid tea rose: stop deadheading, let hips form (Oct 20 – Nov 3)
- Rose of Sharon: remove seed pods (Oct 20 – Nov 17)
- Tomato: top the plants for the final crop (Oct 27 – Nov 3)
Fertilizing in October
- Azalea: stop fertilizing for the season (Oct 6–20)
- Bigleaf hydrangea: stop fertilizing for the season (Oct 6–20)
- Climbing rose: stop fertilizing for the season (Oct 6–20)
- Hybrid tea rose: stop fertilizing for the season (Oct 6–20)
- Panicle hydrangea: stop fertilizing for the season (Oct 6–20)
- Shrub / landscape rose: stop fertilizing for the season (Oct 6–20)
Spraying & disease prevention in October
- Walnut tree: husk fly protection (if needed) (Sep 22 – Oct 6)
Other care in October
- Almond tree: harvest almonds (Sep 8 – Oct 6)
- Asian pear: harvest Asian pears (Sep 8 – Oct 20)
- Bearded iris: divide crowded clumps (every 3–5 years) (Sep 8 – Oct 6)
- Chestnut tree: harvest chestnuts (Oct 20 – Nov 24)
- Daylily: divide crowded clumps (every 3–4 years) (Oct 20 – Nov 10)
- Hazelnut / filbert: harvest hazelnuts (Oct 6 – Nov 10)
- Kiwi vine: harvest kiwis (Oct 20 – Dec 1)
- Pecan tree: water during nut fill (Sep 8 – Oct 20)
- Pistachio tree: harvest pistachios (Sep 8 – Oct 6)
- Pomegranate: water evenly as fruit swells (Aug 25 – Oct 20)
- Pomegranate: harvest pomegranates (Oct 20 – Nov 24)
- Walnut tree: harvest walnuts (Oct 20 – Dec 1)