What to Do in Your Central Texas Garden (Oct. 1–15): Cool-Season Planting Begins
Welcome back to the ATXGardens Podcast! Early October is one of the best times of year to garden in Central Texas. With cooler temperatures arriving, it’s time to plant trees, shrubs, perennials, cool-season vegetables, herbs, and wildflowers while enjoying the harvest from your summer garden. In this episode, Colleen shares practical early October gardening advice, including how to check your irrigation system, transplant trees and perennials, grow vegetables in containers, plant your fall vegetable garden, and transition your herb garden for cooler weather.
💧 Check Your Irrigation System
Fall is a great time to inspect your irrigation system and take care of any repairs. Irrigation professionals are beginning to enter their slower season, making it easier to schedule help than during the busy spring and summer months.
Take time to:
Test sprinklers and irrigation systems
Watch for unusually wilted plants during dry spells
Schedule needed irrigation repairs
Test well water chemistry if it hasn’t been tested within the last three years
Check water filters and softeners
If you use well water, understanding its salt and mineral content is especially important for maintaining healthy plants in Central Texas.
🌳 Keep Planting Trees & Shrubs
October is prime planting season for trees and shrubs in Central Texas. Planting in fall gives woody plants time to establish their roots before the heat of next summer arrives.
Colleen especially encourages planting native and wildlife-supporting trees, including:
Oak trees
Mexican plums
Creek plums
Cherry laurels
Escarpment black cherries
Trees provide shade, support wildlife, sequester carbon, and help moderate neighborhood temperatures, making fall an excellent time to add one to your landscape.
Transplant Trees & Shrubs
If you have small volunteer trees or shrubs growing where you don’t want them, now is a good time to dig them up and transplant them—or share them with a friend.
A Root Slayer shovel can make digging and moving woody plants easier.
Still Don’t Prune!
Continue avoiding pruning on trees, shrubs, roses, and other woody plants. Pruning encourages new growth when plants should instead be slowing down and preparing for winter.
That includes deadheading roses—let them begin moving naturally toward dormancy.
🍎 October Fruit Tree Care
There isn’t much work to do in the orchard right now, and that’s okay! Fruit trees are beginning their transition toward dormancy.
Focus on:
Harvesting the last ripe fruit
Cleaning up fallen fruit
Removing fallen fruit tree leaves
Keeping the area around fruit trees clean
Good orchard sanitation can help keep your fruit trees healthier heading into winter.
🌼 Plant, Divide & Transplant Perennials
October is also an excellent time to plant:
Perennials
Succulents
Bulbs
Ornamental grasses
You can also divide and transplant existing plants. If perennials or grasses are spilling into walkways, flopping over neighboring plants, or simply getting too large for their space, consider dividing or moving them rather than repeatedly trimming them back.
Colleen recommends a border spade for dividing and transplanting smaller plants. And don’t forget to share your extras with gardening friends!
🪴 How to Grow Vegetables in Containers
Continuing the series on different ways to build a vegetable garden, this episode focuses on container gardening.
Growing vegetables in pots can be an excellent option if you:
Have a patio or balcony
Don’t have space for an in-ground garden
Don’t want to construct raised beds
Want a smaller, more manageable vegetable garden
But choosing the right container and soil makes a big difference.
Choose Large Containers
Bigger is generally better for vegetables. Colleen recommends containers of at least five gallons for most crops.
Small containers dry out quickly, making it difficult to maintain the steady moisture vegetables need.
Whatever container you choose, make sure it has adequate drainage holes. Plant roots need both water and oxygen, and standing water can quickly cause problems.
Give Containers the Right Amount of Sun
Morning sun with afternoon shade is ideal, particularly during warmer weather.
During fall, winter, and early spring, containers can usually tolerate more direct sun, including all-day or western exposure. The biggest concern is intense western afternoon sun during the Texas summer.
🌱 Use Potting Soil—Not Garden Soil
One of Colleen’s most important container gardening tips is to only use potting soil in pots and containers.
Soil in containers goes through rapid cycles of drying and rehydrating. Heavy Central Texas clay can contract and become extremely hard when it dries, making it difficult for water and air to penetrate again.
Quality potting soil is formulated to remain more stable through those moisture changes.
Look for Peat-Free Potting Mix
Colleen prefers potting soil made without peat moss and recommends looking for mixes containing coconut fiber, also called coco coir.
She also recommends choosing organic potting soil without fertilizer already mixed in.
If you have several large containers, making your own potting soil can be more economical. Colleen has a homemade potting soil recipe available through http://ATXGardens.com .
🥦 Cool-Season Vegetable Planting Begins
October officially kicks off cool-season vegetable gardening in Central Texas.
It’s now too late to begin most warm-season crops. Instead, focus on vegetables that can continue growing through winter with a little freeze protection.
Plant as Transplants
Artichokes
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Collards
Leeks
Plant from Seed
Fava beans
Beets
Turnips
Carrots
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Mustard greens
Swiss chard
Arugula
Sugar peas
Snow peas
Snap peas
Radishes
If you want to grow spinach, wait until the soil is cool enough for the seeds to germinate. There’s no need to rush—spinach can be planted throughout much of the winter.
🧄 Plant Garlic & Onions
October also marks the beginning of garlic planting season.
Plant individual organic garlic cloves with the pointed end facing upward. Garlic has a long growing season and typically won’t be harvested until May or June, but it’s easy to grow and doesn’t require much space.
Onions can also be planted from seed or sets. Depending on when you harvest them, you can enjoy them as scallions, spring onions, or allow them to mature into larger bulbs.
🌿 Transition to Cool-Season Herbs
The herb garden is also shifting into its cool-season phase.
Plant from Seed
Cilantro
Dill
Parsley
Calendula
Feverfew
Chamomile
Plant as Small Plants
Garlic chives
Oregano
Sage
Mint
Lemon balm
Thyme
Colleen also shares some special considerations for rosemary and lavender. Because recent Central Texas winters have brought temperatures cold enough to damage these plants, she sometimes grows them as annuals or keeps them in containers that can be protected during freezing weather.
💙 There’s Still Time to Plant Wildflowers
Haven’t planted your bluebonnets yet? You still have time!
October is a great time to sow bluebonnets and other spring-blooming Central Texas wildflowers, including:
Pink evening primrose
Coneflowers
Other native primroses
Liatris
For Colleen’s tried-and-true bluebonnet planting method, go back and listen to the previous episode.
🌿 Rest & Pleasure as Resistance
For this episode’s activism segment, Colleen encourages listeners to explore the idea of rest and pleasure as resistance against systemic injustice.
October can be incredibly busy for gardeners, environmental organizations, and community advocates. Colleen reflects on how rest, fun, and meaningful activities help prevent burnout and make it possible to continue doing important work over the long term.
Instead of falling into doomscrolling and outrage, consider what activities restore your energy and help you feel ready to engage with your community again.
🔗 Resources, Products & Organizations Mentioned
Book a consultation with Colleen: http://atxgardens.com/
🌼 Stay Connected
For more Central Texas gardening advice, seasonal planting tips, and sustainable landscaping guidance, visit http://ATXGardens.com and follow Colleen on Instagram @ATXGardens_.
