What to plant in October
Find out which vegetables, fruit and flowers to plant in October.
October is a great time to get ahead and make early sowings of hardy annual flowers and bedding plants, along with vegetable crops like onions, garlic, broad beans and peas. Planting now will make use of bare soil, which can help to prevent soil erosion and hold nutrients into the earth, while also giving you earlier crops of vegetables and flowers.
Plus, October also marks the beginning of bare-root planting season, so you can plant bare-root apples, pears and other fruit trees, along with fruiting shrubs such as blackcurrants and gooseberries.
There's also still time to plant spring bulbs.
You will need:
As temperatures dip, you'll need cloches and fleece to protect vulnerable crops from frost, plus all the usual kit for sowing and planting.
- Tools, pots and supports: a hand trowel is a great tool for many planting jobs. Our expert testers have put a range of styles through their paces to find the best garden hand trowels, so you can buy in confidence.
- Greenhouse: for those of you who have been toying with the idea of a greenhouse, we’ve got handy guides packed with information about how to choose the best greenhouse, as well as 12 of the most useful greenhouse accessories. No outside space? No problem – our round-up of the best indoor greenhouses is just for you.
- Cold frames can be invaluable at this time of year, as you can protect plants from light frost and heavy rain, which can lead to rotting. We've tested a range of cold frames and come up with a list of the best garden cold frames in 2025.
Vegetables to grow in October
Peas
When to harvest: June to October
How to grow: for an early crop of peas next spring, sow hardy cultivars like 'Avola' and 'Meteor'. Sow direct in 5cm drills in the ground or in guttering or root trainers to plant out in a couple of weeks. October is also a good time to plant out peas sown in root trainers or guttering in September.
Salad mixes
When to harvest: April to December
How to grow: salad mixes are one of easiest crops to grow. From an October sowing, you may get a small crop before winter, but then the plants will enter dormancy and not start growing again until March, when they'll provide you with an early crop of fresh salad leaves. Sow direct in well-prepared soil or in pots. Cover with a cloche to protect from the worst of the weather, or move pots into a greenhouse or similar for shelter.
Broad beans
When to harvest: May to August
How to grow: sown in October, broad beans will germinate and put on some growth before entering winter dormancy. Then, as temperatures increase again in spring, they will romp ahead and provide you with a spring harvest a few weeks sooner than spring-sown plants. Sow direct in the soil or in multi-celled trays to plant out in a couple of weeks. Now's also the time to plant out broad beans sown in September.
Cauliflower
When to harvest: July to August
How to grow: early-summer cropping cauliflower cultivars like 'Snowball' can be sown now to overwinter, and then planted out in spring. Sow in multi-celled trays and thin out to one seedling per cell. Keep under cover such as in a greenhouse or cold frame, and then plant out in spring.
Garlic
When to harvest: June to August
How to grow: planted in autumn, garlic cloves will grow roots before winter and will get off to a head start on spring-sown garlic as soon as temperatures increase again, cropping by early summer. Choose a mixture of softneck and hardneck varieties for a good mix of flavours and uses. Plant into multi-celled trays or small pots for planting out later, if you have heavy soil.
Onions
When to harvest: July to September
How to grow: many varieties of onion can be planted as sets, now. Choose autumn-planting varieties like 'Radar'. Plant the sets into well-prepared, fertile soil. Onions need a lot of moisture – you shouldn't need to water in winter but check moisture levels in spring and summer and provide extra moisture if necessary.
Fruit to grow in October
Apples
When to harvest: August to November
How to grow: October is the start of bare-root planting season, where trees and shrubs are available to buy for a fraction of the price they are sold as potted plants. There's a huge variety of apple trees to choose from, including those trained as a standard, espalier or fan, and those on dwarfing rootstocks that can be grown in pots.
Pears
When to harvest: August to November
How to grow: pears are also available to buy as bare-root trees, and there's a much wider variety available to buy as bare-rooted trees than container-grown. Buy young whips to train yourself or those pre-trained as a fan or espalier. Those grafted on dwarfing rootstocks can be grown in pots.
Currants
When to harvest: June to August
How to grow: currents (including blackcurrants, redcurrants and whitecurrants) are also available to buy cheaply as bare-root plants between October and March. Plant them as soon as they arrive, as this gives them the best chance of becoming established before temperatures fall. You can plant them in a temporary spot (known as heeling in) if you need to.
- How to grow blackcurrants
- How to grow redcurrants and whitecurrants
- Buy currants from Thompson & Morgan
Gooseberries
When to harvest: June to August
How to grow: gooseberries are available to buy as bare-root plants in October. Before planting, stand the plants in a bucket of water for about 20 minutes. Then place the plant into prepared soil to the same depth as it was in the nursery. Back fill with soil, firm gently and water well.
Flowers to plant in October
Phacelia
Flowers: June to September
How to grow: hardy annual phacelia is a great plant for bees and other pollinators, and it makes a good green manure. Sow direct in well-prepared soil or in a seed tray for planting out in spring, for late spring blooms.
Cowslips
Flowers: April to May
How to grow: cowslips (Primula veris) are tough perennials that do best in a partially shady spot near water, such as on the pond edge. Fresh seeds need a cold period to germinate, so sow fresh seed in October in seed trays or multi-celled trays. Store outside but with protection from wind, heavy rain and squirrels, such as in a cold frame. Look for signs of germination in spring, and them pot on when seedlings are large enough to handle.
Orlaya grandiflora
Flowers: June to October
How to grow: this pretty Mediterranean native is commonly known as white laceflower. Sow in a seed tray in autumn to overwinter in a cold frame, for early blooms next year.
Wallflowers
Flowers: February to July
How to grow: spring bedding plants like wallflowers can be planted out now, ready to bloom in early spring. Plant in well-prepared soil or pots. They work well with daffodils.
Honeywort (Cerinthe)
Flowers: May to August
How to grow: honeywort makes an excellent cut flower, and its glaucous blue-green leaves are a great foil for other colours in the garden and vase. Its bell-shaped flowers are a magnet for bees, particularly the hairy footed flower bee. Sow seeds into individual pots or multi-celled trays now, and keep over winter in a cold frame, before planting out in spring.
Corncockle
Flowers: June to September
How to grow: corncockle is a cornfield annual, often found in fields along with corn marigold and cornflowers. The variety 'Milas' bears masses of large, bright pink flowers throughout summer. Sow seeds into pots or seed trays of peat-free seed compost, and keep over winter in a cold frame. Plant outside in spring.
Alliums
Flowers: May to July
How to grow: there's a huge range of alliums to choose from, with small to large flowerheads, in colours from white to pink, yellow and purple. Plant bulbs at three times the depth of the bulbs themselves. Some varieties work well in pots of peat-free, multi-purpose compost.
Trees and shrubs to grow in October
Rowan, Sorbus aucuparia
Flowers: May to June
How to grow: there are several species of rowan, most of which have red berries, but some which have yellow or pink berries. Dig the soil thoroughly and dig a square hole. Place the tree in the planting hole and check its depth – ensure it sits at the same level it was in the ground or in its pot, for bare-root plants look for the 'soil tide mark' towards the base of the stem. Then fill around the roots with soil until the hole is filled, and firm gently. Water well and add a tree stake to prevent root rock.
Magnolia
Flowers: February to June (depending on variety)
How to grow: magnolias have shallow roots, so you don't need to dig a very deep hole. Place the tree in the hole and check the level so that the point where it has been grafted is at soil level. Gently firm in the plant with your heel and water in well. Mulch with an acidic mulch such as bark or garden compost. Keep the plant well watered while it establishes.
Crab apple
Flowers: April to May
How to grow: plant your crab apple in full sun, making sure that there will be room for the branches to develop. Prepare the soil thoroughly, then dig a square hole, hammer in a tree stake and position the tree. Once you're happy with the position of the tree, ensuring the 'graft point' – a bulge on the stem where the rootstock was grafted on – sits just above soil level. Then fill in around it with soil, firm and water well.
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