Many gardeners have a habit of abandoning sowing once fall comes around, putting their seed packets away until spring. However, it needn’t be the case. Growing your own food can be a year-round pastime, so I want to shine a light on some vegetables to plant in October that can provide harvests throughout the colder months and beyond.
I spent years growing vegetables year-round as a professional kitchen gardener, sowing and harvesting 12 months a year. I also always overwintered crops on my home plots for pickings in winter and early spring. There may not be the wealth of choices as in summer, but there are still some great and varied vegetables you can plant in October.
Vegetables to plant in October
Here, we focus on those hardy vegetables that can overwinter outdoors, as well as crops that may require a little extra protection to see through the coldest season.
The chances are you may know most of the usual suspects that are typically planted in the fall, such as onions, fava beans, and garlic. These all require long waits for a harvest, and, admittedly, there are one or two crops in this list where patience is required.
However, I also look further afield. There are opportunities to bring a bit more variety to your plates in winter and spring by choosing some of the following vegetables to plant in October.
American land cress
For many people, growing cress is their first experience of plants. Growing cress in an eggshell is a fun activity for kids and teaches how plants need light and water.
Land cress, also known as American land cress or upland cress, is a stronger alternative to the usual watercress. It requires less water than watercress, making it easier to grow, and it is cold-hardy enough to sow this month.
American land cress is a biennial plant that produces dark-green leaves with a peppery taste. It takes 7-8 weeks to go from sowing to harvesting, and the crop will overwinter, providing you with cut-and-come-again pickings during the colder months.
The crop prefers full sun or partial shade and moist, well-draining soil. Sow seeds thinly in shallow drills and thin seedlings to four inches apart as they develop.
You can get packs of upland cress seeds at Amazon to sow this month.
Shallots
(Image credit: Getty Images/annick vanderschelden photography)
Shallots are part of the onion family and produce smaller, milder-flavored bulbs. They are super-simple to grow – plant one shallot bulb and it multiplies to give you harvests of between four and 12 bulbs, depending on the variety.
You can grow shallots of different shapes, sizes, and colors, and, like onions, they can be grown from sets planted in fall or spring, or from seed. Sets are reliable and really simple, and it was the route I preferred, as I grew many shallots in my vegetable garden, as they were extremely popular with the chefs I supplied vegetables to.
Plant sets in a sunny spot in October, and you get a harvest of shallots around June or July. Simply plant the sets with the thick end downwards by pushing them into the soil until just the tip shows above the soil. Space each one eight inches apart and in rows 12 inches apart.
I advise covering the newly-planted sets with horticultural fleece temporarily (you can get horticultural fleece at Amazon), merely to prevent birds pulling them out of the ground before they form roots.
The chefs I worked with liked longer shallots, also known as ‘banana’ shallots. If you want a mild, sweet shallot to grow at home, these ‘Monique’ shallot sets at Amazon are semi-long and have light pink flesh. However, if you want to try growing shallots from seed, these ‘Italian Torpedo’ shallot seeds at Burpee are an heirloom variety popular in Italian cooking.
Rhubarb
(Image credit: Getty Images/ Joseph De Sciose / Aurora Photos)
Rhubarb is a wonderful low-maintenance perennial vegetable. You can plant rhubarb this month, safe in the knowledge that, from next year, you can enjoy harvests of tart stems for many years to come. The harvests will start small in year two, but from the third year onwards, you can get rich pickings each spring.
You can plant dormant rhubarb crowns in October, whether you purchase bare-root plants or lift and divide existing rhubarb plants. Dividing and transplanting rhubarb is a great way to reinvigorate older crowns, plus you get new ones to plant into the garden for free.
The best spot to grow rhubarb is a sunny spot with fertile soil which holds moisture but also drains well. Before planting, it is advisable to add organic matter to the site, such as compost or well-rotted manure. This boosts the soil nutrients and helps with moisture retention.
‘Victoria’ is a reliable, high-yielding variety of rhubarb that I grew in several kitchen gardens I worked in. You can get ‘Victoria’ rhubarb crowns at Amazon to add to your plot this month.
Mizuna
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Mizuna is a great option for a cool-season leafy vegetable. It has a mild peppery taste and can be eaten raw in salads or sandwiches, or added to cooked dishes. It grows best between 40 and 60°F, and you can get multiple harvests by growing mizuna as a cut-and-come-again vegetable.
There are options for planting mizuna in October, which depend on your location and setup. Growers in cooler climates may get away with sowing seeds outdoors unprotected, as you can start picking leaves 4-6 weeks later.
Others may need to grow mizuna in a cold frame or under a plastic tunnel, such as this portable mini greenhouse at Amazon, to provide added protection for the crop.
The third option is to grow mizuna as a microgreen on a sunny windowsill. You can get harvests in only a couple of weeks, and the seedlings will still be rich in the vitamins and minerals that make the larger leaves good for you.
Get mizuna seeds to plant at Amazon
Get mizuna seeds to plant at Walmart
Get mizuna seeds to plant at Burpee
Get mizuna microgreen seeds to plant at True Leaf Market
Broccoli
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There are many cold-hardy vegetables you can overwinter on your plot. Some brassicas are hardy enough to stay outside through winter and tolerate frosts, and broccoli is one of those.
For a spring broccoli harvest, plant the vegetable in October. It is too late to sow seeds, but you can get plugs to plant broccoli this month. Such as these ‘Marathon’ broccoli live plug plants at Amazon, suitable for planting in the fall and growing over the winter.
There are a few aspects to consider when growing broccoli over winter. The first is to ensure they are not planted in a waterlogged site, which causes rot. Also, it is advisable to protect plants with row covers and to mulch to guard the roots from the cold.
Other brassicas suitable for overwintering include cabbage, kale, and Brussels sprouts. You may be able to get live plug plants of spring cabbages or hardy kale varieties to plant this month. Such as this two-pack of live dinosaur kale plants at Amazon, which you start harvesting come spring.
Komatsuna
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Komatsuna, or Japanese mustard spinach, might be a new vegetable for many, but it is definitely one worth finding more about – or adding to your fall sowing list.
It is a cold-hardy leafy crop with turnip-like leaves that have a spicy flavor. It is a fast-growing vegetable and can be picked small and eaten raw in salads within a month from sowing, or left to mature and added to stir-fries. However, the flavor intensifies as the leaves develop.
Komatsuna can grow through winter with some protection from row covers, or it is a great vegetable to grow in a greenhouse in the fall for harvests throughout the colder months.
You can get komatsuna mustard seeds at True Leaf Market to sow in a sunny spot in drills. Thin the seedlings to 12 inches apart as they develop and keep the crop moist.
Birds and pests, like caterpillars and flea beetles, are attracted to the crop, so cover plants with a row cover. This both protects from pests and provides some shelter from the weather. You can use this floating row cover at Amazon, laid over hoops and secured at the sides.
Winter lettuce
(Image credit: Getty Images/David Gomez)
October may not hit you as the ideal time for planting lettuce, but you can grow winter varieties for a spring harvest. These winter lettuces can grow over winter with some protection, whether in a greenhouse, cold frame, or polytunnel, or outdoors under a garden cloche. There is even the option to grow lettuce indoors on a bright windowsill.
While you can sow seeds outdoors, there are still benefits to starting plants off indoors and transplanting seedlings outside a few weeks later. This mitigates the risk of slugs or snails nibbling on the seedlings when they appear.
Alternatively, you can sow seeds directly if you prefer and use slug control methods, like beer traps or surrounding plants with jagged materials like stones or crushed eggshells.
Some classic varieties of lettuce for cold weather include ‘Winter Density’ and ‘Winter King’. Look for any types with ‘winter’ or ‘arctic’ in the name, which are most suitable for growing during the colder months of the year.
See the range of lettuce seeds to plant at Amazon
See the range of lettuce seeds to plant at Walmart
See the range of lettuce seeds to plant at Burpee
See the range of lettuce seeds to plant at True Leaf Market
FAQs
Can I plant beets in October?
October is too late for planting beets; there will be insufficient time to develop decent-sized roots to use or store.
October also offers a great opportunity to look ahead at sprucing up your flower beds or containers next year with lots of glorious blooms. The likes of sweet peas, alliums, and cornflowers are all flowers you can sow in October to provide a bounty of color and interest.
If you want to grow more of the plants that stood out this year, there are also many opportunities to collect seeds in October. You can collect seeds from sweet peas, sunflowers, zinnia, black-eyed susans and more to store and sow for next year’s displays.