October 2026
Hey there, great gardeners of the Mid-Ohio Valley! October is the month the garden changes coats. Summer crops finish their last generous weeks, frost starts watching the calendar, and the work shifts from “keep it producing” to “put the beds to bed and plant what next spring will thank you for.” In USDA Zones 6 and 7, a typical first frost still lands mid-to-late October around here—confirm your own hillside, hollow, or river-bottom spot, because the Ohio River valley loves a microclimate. Focus on bringing in what’s tender, planting garlic and spring bulbs, watering new trees and shrubs, and covering the soil so it doesn’t sit bare all winter. We’ve blended Mid-Ohio Valley know-how, WVU Extension calendar tips, and plenty of dirt-under-the-fingernails experience into week-by-week tasks. Keep a row cover handy, enjoy that first woodsmoke evening, and let’s finish the year the way Uncle Jim would have—quietly useful, and a little proud of the work. 🍂🧄🌕
| 🌙 Moon Phase | Date | Garden Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| 🌗 Last Quarter | Saturday, October 3rd | Barren Time, Weed & Maintain |
| 🌑 New Moon | Saturday, October 10th | Plant Seeds and Transplants |
| 🌓 First Quarter | Sunday, October 18th | Plant or Harvest Aboveground Crops |
| 🌕 Full Moon | Sunday, October 26th | Plant Root Crops |
Week 40 (September 28–October 4, 2026 – wrapping from September)
September’s Almanac closed with cover crops, cleanup, and a clean handoff. October picks up the same shovel.
Thursday, October 1: Cure onions for storage once necks are dry and tops have fallen. Turn the compost pile—cool nights still cook a good heap if you keep it mixed.
Friday, October 2: Dig cannas, dahlias, gladiolus, and tuberous begonias before a hard freeze. Shake off soil, dry them a few days, and store in a cool, dark spot.
Saturday, October 3 – Last Quarter Moon: Barren time. Weed, work soil, and don’t let late weeds go to seed. Harvest green tomatoes and gourds ahead of a forecast frost—better on the counter than mush in the bed.
Sunday, October 4: Seed carrots for overwintering in a high tunnel or cold frame. Soil is still warm enough to germinate if you keep it evenly moist.
Week 41 (October 5–11, 2026)
Monday, October 5: Harvest and cure sweet potatoes before cool, wet weather sets in. Cure in a warm, dry place, then store cooler. Divide crowded perennials while you can still see the clumps.
Tuesday, October 6: Keep bringing in the last tender herbs and houseplants. Inspect for hitchhiking pests before they move indoors for the winter.
Wednesday, October 7: Harvest pumpkins and winter squash as rinds harden and vines fade. Leave a few inches of stem attached—they store better that way.
Thursday, October 8: Clear finished summer beds. Remove old crop residue and seed a winter cover crop on empty ground if you haven’t already.
Friday, October 9: Store winter squash in a cool, dry location. Plant multiplier or potato onions while the soil is still workable.
Saturday, October 10 – New Moon: Prime planting day. Set spring-flowering bulbs (tulips, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths) as soil cools. Seed spinach for overwintering in a cold frame or high tunnel. Trees and shrubs still have time to settle roots before the ground locks up.
Sunday, October 11: Plant or transplant lilies that flower midsummer into early fall. Water anything newly planted—fall watering matters as much as spring.
Week 42 (October 12–18, 2026)
Columbus Day – Monday, October 12
Monday, October 12: A good holiday walk through the garden. Top Brussels sprouts so the remaining sprouts size up. Notice what’s still producing and what is ready to come out.
Tuesday, October 13: Prepare a landscape bed now for spring planting—weeds pulled, compost worked in, so March-you inherits a head start.
Wednesday, October 14: Plant or transplant deciduous trees and shrubs after leaves drop. Roots keep working in cool soil long after the show upstairs is over.
Thursday, October 15: Save wildflower seed for spring if the heads are dry. Label the envelopes. Future you will not remember which jar is which.
Friday, October 16: Mow the lawn on the high side for the last regular cutting if growth has slowed. Long-enough grass going into winter protects crowns better than a scalp.
Saturday, October 17: Prune roses as needed and take cuttings if that’s your habit. Keep watering young evergreens through dry spells.
Sunday, October 18 – First Quarter Moon: Good day for aboveground crops. Harvest hardy greens, herbs, and anything still hanging on. Tuck lettuce or spinach into a tunnel if you have one.
Week 43 (October 19–25, 2026)
Monday, October 19: Plant garlic. That’s the October headline around here. Pointy end up, a couple inches deep, and mulch after the ground cools so freeze-thaw doesn’t heave the cloves.
Tuesday, October 20: Typical first-frost window opens for parts of the Mid-Ohio Valley. Watch the forecast, not just the calendar. Cover tender plants if a clear, still night is coming.
Wednesday, October 21: Seed more spinach in a cold frame or high tunnel. A little protection turns October greens into November salads.
Thursday, October 22: Take a fall soil test from lawn and garden. Lime and fertilizer wait for the results—guessing costs more than the test.
Friday, October 23: Mulch hardy greens still in the garden—chard, collards, kale. They’ll ride out light frost better with a blanket.
Saturday, October 24: Plant mâche (corn salad) in a cold frame. Dig any remaining dahlia tubers and store them cool, dark, and dry.
Sunday, October 25: Harvest fall Irish potatoes as tops die back. Let them dry in the shade before they go into storage.
Week 44 (October 26–31, 2026 – heading into November)
Hunter’s Moon – Sunday, October 26 · Halloween – Saturday, October 31
Monday, October 26 – Full Moon (Hunter’s Moon): Root-crop day. Finish garlic if any cloves are still in the bag. Turn compost. Step outside after dusk—the Hunter’s Moon is the full moon that follows the Harvest Moon, and it still lights a late garden walk.
Tuesday–Wednesday, October 27–28: Keep watering new trees, shrubs, and evergreens if fall has been dry. Clean fallen fruit under trees to cut next year’s pest pressure. Pull the last spent annuals.
Thursday–Friday, October 29–30: Mark bulb plantings so spring-you can find them. Bring in leftover tools, empty pots, and leftover seed. A tidy shed in October is a gift in March.
Saturday, October 31 – Halloween: Turn the compost pile one more time. If a jack-o’-lantern is going to the garden instead of the trash, chop it and bury it in the compost—not in a tidy pile where wildlife will throw a party. November will ask for mulch, tool care, and the first real winterizing. This week is your clean handoff.
October in the Mid-Ohio Valley is harvest, frost watch, and next year’s garden tucked into the same afternoon. Get the garlic in, give the new trees a drink, and let the cover crop do quiet work while you enjoy the color. The garden is not done with you—and you are not done with it.
Swing by Bob’s Market in Mason, Gallipolis, or Belpre for supplies, plant recommendations, or just to chat gardening. What’s on the benches changes with the week—come see it in person. Questions about frost covers, bulb timing, or what to do with a crate of green tomatoes? Holler in the comments or at the greenhouse.
