Tree Week is celebrated across the Commonwealth in many different communities.

Here in Pulaski County, we’ve participated in this celebration since 2021.

We hope you spend time with us during this week. But if not, get outside and enjoy all that trees give us!

October is the end of HWW for 2023

Fall asters, tree galls, winter tree ID, and holiday cactus are the topics this month.

Consider Worm Composting This Winter

Worm composting (vermicomposting) is a way of converting organic waste to a rich stable end form (castings) using red wigglers or other composting worms.

All it takes to get started is a dark plastic tote, newspaper, worms, and food. The food will be your kitchen scraps.

If you’re considering using worms to compost food waste, drop by the Pulaski Co Extension office and see our 17 year old worm bin.

Lake Cumberland Master Gardeners just returned from the Kentucky State Master Gardener Conference held in mid-September at the Kentucky State University

Harold Benson Research and Demonstration Farm in Frankfort.

The theme of the conference was the Ecology of Backyard Gardens. Three Extension Master Gardeners enjoyed 2 days of speakers and tours.

Master Gardener Deborah wrapped up a 5-session Raised Bed Vegetable Gardening Series. She maintained the demo gardens and presented at each session. KUDOS, Deborah!

On Public Lands Day, Master Gardener Melanie gave a presentation to the volunteers at Mill Springs National Battlefield Visitor’s Center. Afterwards, they planted over 300 Kentucky native plants around the perimeter of the Visitor Center. Educational information will be provided in the future.

Master Gardeners regularly lead sessions with the residents of Sky Hope. They enjoy harvesting strawberries and making flower arrangements.

So it’s been a rewarding summer for the Extension Master Gardeners. If you’d like to be included on future mailings concerning the Master Gardener Program here in Pulaski Co, click the link below.

Get Your Bulb Orders In

Don’t procrastinate getting those bulb orders in. Popular varieties will sell out fast.

And don’t think just daffodils or tulips. There are other bulbs like windflower, Allium, and Siberian squill (that’s a fun name!).

Some Like It Hot

Horseradish. Horseradish, it’s neither a horse nor a radish, but closer to the latter.

If you’ve grown every other vegetable, it’s time to try your hand at this one.

Click the image above to hear a podcast from the University of Illinois Extension. My recommendation: start at the 8 minute mark.

October Garden To-Do List

Divide peonies this month.

Plant garlic! Come to the program on October 26 to learn about it.

Leave the leaves. Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation encourages raking or blowing instead of shredding leaves. Once you have raked or blown weeds to their final destination for the winter, overwintering insects will use them for shelter (see graphics below)

It’s important to clean up the vegetable garden once the garden is finished for the year. Diseases can build up in successive years when plant debris is left in the garden.

Cleaning up is not necessary in the perennial garden. It’s a good idea to leave stems and some leaves for overwintering of important organisms like native bees.

October is the BEST time to plant trees.  Dig a wide hole, don’t plant too deeply, and mulch with 3” (no more!) of organic mulch. Watering is a must — deeply and infrequently yields best results.

Start planting the winter vegetable garden. Seed spinach, radishes, cold hardy lettuces, kale, turnips, etc. Be prepared to protect them from hard frosts. Most will be able to tolerate light frosts.