What to do this week
Frost, garlic, bulbs and the first cold nights: what to do now, in the garden and in the house.
What to plant this month
What goes in the ground in October depends on how close your first frost is. Find your state or province in the October guide, then open its page.
What to Plant in October: all 50 states and Canada → Coming up: November →
October planting in: California Texas Florida New York Pennsylvania Ohio Georgia North Carolina Your state ↓
Find your state
All 63 guides →Climate zone, frost dates, planting calendar, heating season and local rules for all 50 states and Canada.
Northeast
Southeast
Midwest
Southwest
Pacific Northwest
The guides readers open most
Most have a page for your state or province.
First and last frost dates
The date that decides when to plant and when to cover up, for every state and province.
Frost dates in: California Texas Florida New York Pennsylvania Ohio Georgia North Carolina
When to turn on the heat
When the heating season starts where you live, and what to check first.
Heating season in: California Texas Florida New York Pennsylvania Ohio Georgia North Carolina
Garlic: planting, varieties and storage
Fall planting dates, hardneck or softneck, and how to keep the harvest.
Garlic planting in: California Texas Florida New York Pennsylvania Ohio Georgia North Carolina
Overseeding the lawn
The window for new grass seed in your region.
Overseeding in: California Texas Florida New York Pennsylvania Ohio Georgia North Carolina
Apples: varieties, harvest and storage
Which varieties ripen when, and how to keep them.
Onions: when to plant and how to store them
Planting calendar by state, varieties and curing.
Planting by the Moon
Moon phases and traditional planting days, with a plain look at what the almanac tradition does and doesn’t show.
Planting by the Moon in October 2026: Dates, Moon Signs and Traditional Planting Days → Planting by the Moon 2026: Moon Phases, Signs and Traditional Planting Days → Planting by the Moon: What the Almanac Tradition Says, and Whether It Works →
Home & energy
Heating, plumbing, roofs, pests and the repairs that come with the season.
Mice in the House: Signs, Causes and Control
Rats in the House: Signs, Causes and Control
Preserving the Harvest: Canning, Freezing, Drying, Fermenting
Frost-Free Outdoor Taps: How They Work and Why They Still Fail
Browse: Garden Home Care Energy Decor DIY Plumbing Roofing Foundations
Just published
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- When to Cut Pumpkins in Newfoundland and Labrador, and How Long They Keep
- Growing Asian Greens in Iowa
- Growing Asian Greens in New Brunswick
- When to Cut Pumpkins in Maine, and How Long They Keep
- When to Cut Pumpkins in New Brunswick, and How Long They Keep
- When to Stop Cutting Asparagus in Montana, and How to Keep the Spears
- Growing Asian Greens in Nevada
- Growing Asian Greens in Indiana
- When to Cut Pumpkins in Nevada, and How Long They Keep
- When to Cut Pumpkins in Louisiana, and How Long They Keep
- Growing Asian Greens in Nebraska
- What Eats Spinach in Pennsylvania, and When
- What Eats Corn in Washington, and When
- Growing Asian Greens in Illinois
- Growing Asian Greens in Montana
- When to Stop Cutting Asparagus in Missouri, and How to Keep the Spears
- Growing Asian Greens in Missouri
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- What Eats Corn in Texas, and When
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- Growing Asian Greens in Minnesota
- What Eats Corn in Tennessee, and When
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Who writes here
Sarah M.
Writes about gardens the way they actually behave: soil that disappoints, seedlings that bolt, and the two weeks in spring when everything…
Jason T.
Covers the unglamorous half of owning a house: gutters, caulk, water where it should not be. Believes most repairs are cheaper the…
Emily R.
Writes about rooms and light. More interested in the small changes that shift how a space feels than in full renovations, and…
David K.
Follows energy bills, rebates and the rules that keep changing underneath them. Reads the program fine print so you do not have…
Laura W.
Writes about the insects, rodents and wildlife that turn up uninvited. Focuses on what actually works, what is a waste of money,…
Mike B.
Grows food and then has to do something with it. Covers the vegetable garden through to the kitchen: what to plant for…
The Homestead Post Team
The newsroom byline. Used for guides that several writers contributed to, for reference pieces we keep updated through the year, and for…