Plant garlic and horseradish.
Gardening Tasks by Month for Chicago, IL
Gardening Tips
Chicago, IL
Plant & Sow
Vegetables, Fruit & Herbs
Check your houseplants for any insects or diseases, and treat when necessary.
Pests, Diseases & Weeds
Houseplants
Store your harvest in a root cellar or cold basement.
Harvest
Vegetables, Fruit & Herbs
Keep on top of autumn leaves. Shred and add them to your compost pile.
Prune & Maintain
Trees & Shrubs, Lawn, General Garden
Test your garden soil if you have not already done so. Make any necessary changes to improve it for next spring.
Plan & Prepare
Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit & Herbs, General Garden
Keep mowing your lawn for as long as it grows. Pests such as voles and field mice will damage your lawn and plants if they have long grass to hide in.
Prune & Maintain
Lawn
After a frost, dig up dahlias.
Prune & Maintain
Flowers
Test your garden soil and make any necessary changes to improve it for next spring.
Plan & Prepare
General Garden
Be sure to remove any leaves from your lawn to help reduce lawn problems. When you do, shred the leaves and compost them.
Prune & Maintain
Lawn, General Garden
Protect fruit trees from animals and pests.
Pests, Diseases & Weeds
Vegetables, Fruit & Herbs, Trees & Shrubs
Plant spring-flowering bulbs, such as tulips, hyacinth, and snow drops. Consider covering with chicken wire to deter animals.
Plant & Sow
Flowers
Do not prune spring-flowering shrubs.
Prune & Maintain
Flowers, Trees & Shrubs
Harvest any remaining vegetables sensitive to frost, included winter squash, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes.
Harvest
Vegetables, Fruit & Herbs
Look for slug egg masses under mulch and destroy.
Pests, Diseases & Weeds
Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit & Herbs, General Garden
Remove weeds, debris, and dead or diseased plants, as well as plants that had disease problems this year. Insects and diseases can overwinter in these plants.
Pests, Diseases & Weeds
Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit & Herbs, General Garden
Transplant trees and rosebushes.
Prune & Maintain
Flowers, Trees & Shrubs
Water trees, shrubs, and evergreens until the ground freezes. Apply a layer of mulch around these plants to help reduce winter injury.
Water & Feed
Trees & Shrubs
Improve your garden soil by adding manure, compost, and leaves to provide it with more organic matter.
Plan & Prepare
Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit & Herbs, General Garden
