Herbs to plant
October is the last good planting window for herbs that need to establish before cold weather arrives, and it's one of the best months for rosemary. Rosemary transplants planted in fall develop strong roots through October and November before winter, making them more established and productive the following spring than the same variety planted the previous April.
Arp rosemary is the most cold-hardy variety for Atlanta, rated to Zone 6 and able to handle the occasional deep Atlanta winter freeze with no protection. Tuscan Blue is taller and more dramatically upright, with deep blue-purple flowers and strong flavor. Both need a Two by Two or Two by Four at 18" depth for their root systems.
More cilantro and parsley can still go in during early October. Cilantro sown now will produce through November and into December in Atlanta's typical mild fall. If you want a continuous cilantro harvest, stagger sowings every 2 to 3 weeks through October. Parsley sown now will overwinter in Atlanta with some protection and begin growing again in February for an early spring harvest.
Mulch the perennial herb containers now. A 2-inch layer of straw or wood chips over the soil surface in thyme, oregano, and chive planters insulates roots during cold snaps and conserves soil moisture through the drier winter months. Cedar planters provide excellent natural insulation, but mulching adds another protective layer.
Flowers to plant
October is peak tulip-and-daffodil planning season in Atlanta, even though you won't see blooms until March and April. Container-grown spring bulbs are one of the great pleasures of the Atlanta garden, and October is the time to plant them.
Tulip bulbs go in from late October through November. Darwin Hybrid and Triumph tulips are the most reliable bloomers in Atlanta's climate. Plant bulbs 6 to 8 inches deep in containers with good drainage — The Two by Two at 12" depth works well — with the pointed end facing up. In Atlanta's Zone 7b/8a climate, tulip bulbs benefit from pre-chilling (6 to 8 weeks in a paper bag in the refrigerator) before planting since Atlanta winters aren't cold enough to provide the chill hours tulips need naturally.
Daffodils are easier than tulips in Atlanta because they need less chilling. Tete-a-Tete miniature daffodils are perfect for smaller containers. Ice Follies and Carlton are reliable full-size varieties for Two by Two and Two by Four planters. Plant bulbs at 2 to 3 times their diameter in depth and they'll return for years.
Pansies and violas planted in September are still blooming in October and will continue through winter. If you didn't plant fall pansies yet, early October is still viable. Pansy transplants in matrix orange, purple, and yellow look beautiful alongside the last of the fall mums and asters. Violas are even more cold-hardy than pansies and bloom through most Atlanta winters without stopping.
Vegetables to plant
The fall vegetable garden is in full swing in October, and there's still time to add new plantings even in the second half of the month.
Continue direct-sowing lettuce, radishes, and spinach in early October. Cherry Belle radishes sown in the first week of October are ready by early November. Lettuce sown in early October will produce from November through December and often into January in Atlanta's typically mild late fall. Bloomsdale spinach handles frost well and can produce through December and even into January in mild winters.
Garlic is one of the most satisfying fall plantings you can make. Plant garlic cloves in October — pointed end up, 2 to 3 inches deep, 6 inches apart — in a Two by Two or Two by Four planter. Garlic grows through fall, winter, and spring, and is ready to harvest when the tops die back in late June. Music, German Extra Hardy, and Inchelium Red are all Atlanta- reliable varieties. One full Two by Two planter of garlic produces enough for a year of cooking.
Harvest the last of the warm-season crops before frost arrives. Any tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant still on the vine as overnight temperatures drop toward the 40s should be harvested. Green tomatoes ripen indoors in 1 to 2 weeks set on a counter at room temperature (never refrigerate tomatoes). Hot peppers can be strung and dried for storage.
Fruits in season
Prepare blueberry and fig containers for winter in October. Both are perennials that benefit from attention before the cold season. For blueberry containers, mulch the soil surface heavily with wood chips or pine bark (which also helps maintain the acidic soil pH blueberries need). Move containers against the house or into a protected spot on nights with hard freezes forecast below 10 degrees.
Fig containers should also be mulched. Mature figs are hardy in Atlanta with no protection, but container figs have roots exposed on all sides rather than insulated by the ground, making them slightly more vulnerable in extreme cold. A thick layer of mulch on the soil surface and moving the container against a south-facing wall provides meaningful protection in hard winters.
Strawberry crowns planted in September are establishing themselves now. Top-dress the containers with a light layer of straw mulch to insulate roots through winter. The plants will look dormant through winter but the root systems are developing underground, building toward a productive spring harvest.
Care tasks this month
October is the preparation month. Have row cover or frost cloth on hand before the first frost warning. Atlanta's first frost typically arrives in mid-November, but the occasional early frost can show up in late October. A single frost cloth draped over a container on a cold night can protect plants 2 to 4 degrees below freezing, which is often enough to get another 2 to 3 weeks of production from basil and tomatoes.
Clean up and store any containers that won't be used over winter. Empty spent potting mix (add it to a compost pile rather than discarding), scrub containers with a mild bleach solution to eliminate disease and pest eggs, and store in a sheltered spot. Cedar planters can stay outside year-round, but cleaning them in fall extends their life and prevents disease carryover to next season.
Reduce watering frequency as temperatures drop. Cool October temperatures and shorter days mean containers dry out much more slowly than in summer. Overwatering in fall is a common cause of root rot in containers that otherwise healthy through the summer. Check soil before watering and water only when the top 2 inches are dry.
What to harvest
Fall lettuce and radishes planted in September are ready to harvest in October. Radishes are best at their described harvest size — Cherry Belle at about 1 inch diameter. Left in the ground beyond maturity, radishes become pithy and hot. Lettuce harvested at 4 to 6 inches tall, before the center stalk elongates, is at its best texture and flavor.
Kale planted in August and September reaches its flavor peak after the first frost. Cold temperatures convert starches to sugars in kale, producing a noticeably sweeter, more complex flavor than summer kale. Harvest outer leaves and the center continues producing through winter.
Cilantro and parsley are actively producing through October and into November. These are some of the most pleasant harvests of the year — cool, fragrant, and abundant without the urgency of summer heat demanding attention. Enjoy them.
