From the ever-changing leaves of oaks and maples to the harvesting of fall edibles, fall is a time of beauty and bounty. October is the month when all the hard work in the garden pays off, the natural world says farewell to a season with a bang of brilliant color, and the weather is more gorgeous than it will be for the rest of the year. Don't miss it. Throw open those windows, take long evening walks and enjoy the very last bounty of this delicious season! Amy Renea It is the very end of the late-summer harvest, so collect the bounty while you can. You might still have potatoes to harvest if you planted a second batch in summer. Mine have bloomed and are just starting to turn brown. By the end of this month, they will be ready to pull from the ground before a true frost hits. Amy Renea Tip: With the nights chilly and the days warm and sunny, tomatoes and eggplants can survive under a blanket of burlap or other protection.

Create a tabletop arrangement with the autumn harvest Jocelyn H. Chilvers Seedpods are everywhere you look, and the after effects of blooming can be even more beautiful than the flowers themselves. Jocelyn H. Chilvers Enjoy the beauty but make sure to cut down any plants that might infest your garden with thousands of unwanted plants. A field of Queen Anne's lace seedpods is beautiful to look at, but oh my, the havoc it will wreak on your summer garden next year! Amy Renea Still have blooms on pumpkin and gourd vines? Cut them off. At this point in the season, you want the fruit that is already on the vine to ripen instead of new fruit developing. There isn't time for new fruit to grow to maturity, so give the existing pumpkins a boost by plucking those flowers before they get started. Amy Renea Herbs are abundant all fall, but they will disappear sooner than you can say "Jack" when frost comes knocking. Harvest mint, lemon balm (shown), rosemary and others to preserve them for the winter. Dry the herbs, chop and freeze them or use them in soaps for fresh herbs all winter. Amy Renea After your herbs have dried, try making your own tea mixes for winter. I combine stevia (shown) with various herbs for unique and cheap teas. As long as I have fresh herbs, though, I'll brew up a batch every single evening until my luck runs out. Amy Renea While you are preserving edibles, consider preserving a few flowers as well. Flat flowers like zinnias press well, while big bunches like hydrangeas dry nicely as large clumps. D-CRAIN Design and Construction Grasses are in all their glory in October. They look best in drifts where the wind can ripple through them like water. Wagner Hodgson Trees are also starting to put on a show. At the beginning of the month, you'll start to see the smallest hint of color. Mid-October brings bolder and brighter displays that are as magical as they are spooky in the early-morning fog. Of course, the real show is in late October, when the trees put on a symphony of color and go out in a blaze of glory. There is nothing better.