Start sowing in October
Discover the gorgeous flowers and delicious veg you can start from seed this month, with Sally Nex
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
To do | yes |
It feels a bit daring to be sowing seeds this late in the year – but it’s really worth the effort as you’re setting yourself up for a fantastic spring. When my cold frame is full of veg and flower seedlings through winter, I know I’ll be harvesting salads by March and picking flowers sooner too, so my growing season gets off to the best possible start!
More October seed sowing ideas:
October seed sowing inspiration
Plants featured in this video
Cauliflowers
I’ve never had much luck with cauliflowers, to be honest: they tend to bolt on me, especially in hot summers. But I’ve had better success sowing in autumn, when it’s cool and damp. I sow into newspaper modules filled with home-made potting compost in the greenhouse, then move the young plants outside in spring for fat, creamy curds by early summer.
Shallots
Shallots are brilliant value – each set you plant makes a cluster of up to five elegantly tapered bulbs with a mild, oniony flavour. The earlier you sow them, the bigger the bulbs, so I like to get some into the ground in autumn to overwinter as seedlings. Plant the sets straight into your autumn mulch so the tips are just at soil level, spacing them about 15cm apart.
Greek basil
Greek basil is my favourite herb to grow as a houseplant as it forms a lovely neat hummock, and it puts up with low light levels so lasts longer into winter, too. You won’t get full-sized plants from seeds sown into pots on windowsills indoors now – but you will get scrummy microgreens to snip once the seedlings are about 5cm tall.
Sweet peas
I have sweet peas somewhere on my veg plot every year – they’re brilliant for attracting in pollinating insects to boost my harvests so I like to grow them on jute netting among the peas or trained up wigwams alongside climbing beans. I sow a batch in autumn to overwinter as seedlings, then a second batch in spring for a stream of scent and colour all summer long.
BBC Gardeners' World Magazine subscriber offer:
30 free tulip bulbs with sweet williams
A cottage garden favourite, this mix of Dianthus barbatus (sweet williams) in complementary shades of pink, white, purple, and red will fill your garden with both colour and sweet fragrance from May to July.
Buy 10, 20 or 30 bare-root plants, from £14 and you'll receive 30 free Double Tropical Mix tulip bulbs, worth £18 with your order.
Offer expires 31 October, 2022.
Christmas offer
Gift a subscription to BBC Gardeners' World magazine and save 51% on the shop price.
Year Planner 2025 on sale
Starting to plan your gardening year? The Year Planner 2025 is packed with expert advice from the Gardeners’ World team, to ensure you have your best gardening year yet.
Plant of the Week: Camellia ‘Yuletide’
New podcast series
Join Monty and the team for advice on winter gardening, tulips, caring for birds, house plants and more in the new BBC Gardeners' World Magazine podcast series.