October in the Garden

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Gardening in October

October can be a glorious month in the garden, with clear blue skies and crisp days. Everywhere you look, the autumn leaves are a blaze of rich warm reds, oranges and yellows, a last extravagant explosion of colour before winter arrives. The days are getting shorter, so make the most of good gardening weather whenever you get the chance this month. Wrap up warm, get outdoors and enjoy your garden’s autumn display this year.

What to plant and do in October?

There are plenty of jobs to do in the garden in October. It’s time to tidy up after summer, get ready for winter and start planting for next spring. Whether you’re sowing vegetables, harvesting fruit or planting bulbs, choose your favourite category below and read our top gardening tips.

Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus)

Delicious in salads and sandwiches, the crisp, sweet crunch of a cucumber is one of the joys of summer.

Courgettes (Cucurbita pepo)

Courgettes are a common summer staple in the vegetable garden.

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are tubers that grow and form at the plant’s roots.

Garlic (Allium sativum)

Garlic is the base of so many delicious dishes, and growing garlic at home is now very popular.

Strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa)

If you’re a strawberry fan, the many varieties of ‘Fragaria × ananassa’ are easy to grow at home.

Raspberries (Rubus idaeus)

What could be better than a bowl of sweet, freshly-picked raspberries in summer?

Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium angustifolium)

Eaten fresh, baked in muffins or as the star attraction in jams or desserts, blueberries are always delicious.

Banana (Ensete, Musa)

With their exotic and enormous foliage, banana plants add a taste of the tropics to the garden.

Allium

Alliums belong to the same family as onions, garlic and leeks, as you can tell from the scent when you crush the foliage...

Peony (Paeonia)

These stunning plants provide a captivating elegance to a border. Large colourful flowers flourish in late spring and...

Salvia

There are over 900 distinct species of Salvia, providing a huge range of smells and vivacious colours.

Geum

Pretty and delicate, Geums provide colour throughout the summer. They are frost tolerant, happy in a range of soil types...

Geraniums and pelargoniums (Geraniaceae)

Geraniums are versatile plants which can add a multitude of colours and scents to the garden.

Crocosmia

Crocosmia bring flashes of bright colour and vibrance to a garden, with their graceful, delicately arching flower stalks...

Euphorbia

Hailing from a diverse range of habitats/regions, there’s a Euphorbia to suit you – whether you’re looking for a...

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii)

Commonly known as the butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii is a hardy, summer flowering shrub which is very easy to grow.

What vegetables to plant in October

Although October is mainly a month for harvesting, once you’ve cleared the beds of the last of the summer crops, it’s also time to plant for winter and spring crops. Some winter-hardy seeds can still be sown outdoors, while others are best under glass or in a cold greenhouse. Here’s a list of vegetables to sow and plant in October:

Sow under cloches or in a greenhouse for winter crops:

Winter lettuce
Pak choi
Mizuna

Sow outdoors for spring crops:

Pea ‘Meteor’ and ‘Pilot’
Broad bean ‘Aquadulce Claudia’ and ‘Imperial Green Longpod’

Plant out:

Autumn onion sets e.g. Onion ‘Radar’ and ‘Electric Red’
Garlic
Spring cabbages
Asparagus crowns

What Vegetables to harvest in October

Most vegetables are almost finished producing crops by now, so make the most of this final harvest. These vegetables should be ready to harvest in October:

Peas
Runner beans
French beans
Pumpkins
Squash
Autumn cabbages
Tomatoes (ripe and unripe)
Peppers
Broccoli
Leeks
Beetroot

Vegetable plant maintenance in October

Once the last of the beans have been harvested, cut the plants down to ground level and leave the roots in the ground to release their stored nitrogen into the soil.
Ripen green tomatoes indoors by placing them in paper bags together with a banana or an apple (the fruit emits ethylene that helps to ripen the vegetables). Check regularly and remove tomatoes as they ripen, as well as any that are going mouldy.
Cut back asparagus foliage to 5cm (2in) above ground level.

Fruit

What fruit to plant in October

As well as harvesting the last of the fruit, October is a good month to plant fruit trees, bushes and plants while the soil is still warm from the summer, giving them time to settle in over winter ready to produce a bountiful crop next year. These fruits are all ready to plant in October:

Rhubarb crowns
Strawberry runners
Apple trees
Plum trees
Pear trees
Apricot trees
Fig trees

What fruit to harvest in October

These fruits should all be ready to harvest in October:

Apples
Pears
Grapes
Autumn-fruiting raspberries
Perpetual strawberries

Fruit plant maintenance in October

Cut back the fruited canes of summer fruiting raspberries to ground level. Tie in the new canes that have grown this year to supports ready to produce fruit next year.
Move citrus trees indoors to a bright, frost-free place and reduce watering, letting the compost just dry out between watering.
Cut back the old leaves from your strawberry plants. If you mulched your plants with straw earlier in the year, remove it now to improve ventilation around the plants.
Lift and divide overgrown rhubarb plants, using the blade of spade to split the clumps up. Replant the pieces, making sure each piece has a healthy bud or ‘eye’ that will produce shoots next year.
Wrap grease bands around apple trees to protect against winter moths – these bands stop the wingless female moths climbing up the trunks to lay their eggs in the branches.
Pick up any damaged fallen fruit to stop fungal spores spreading.

Lawns

Lawn maintenance in October

October is an important time for autumn lawn maintenance, especially in colder areas of the country where this month may be the last opportunity to give your lawn some care before winter sets in. Scarifying, aerating and feeding your lawn will result in strong, healthy turf with fewer weeds next year.

Rake up fallen leaves regularly so that the autumn sunlight can reach the grass. Collect the leaves into a pile or put them in bags and leave them somewhere out of sight, and in a year or so they will decompose into leaf mould, an excellent soil conditioner.
Mow the lawn less frequently and on a higher blade setting. In cold areas of the country October may be your last mowing month until spring, but in milder areas you may still need to mow occasionally through winter to keep it looking tidy.
Scarify the lawn to get rid of moss and thatch (dead grass). You can either do this by raking vigorously with a spring tine rake or use a mechanical lawn scarifier.
Aerate the lawn to reduce compaction and improve drainage. For small lawns, this can be done manually by spiking holes at regular intervals in the lawn with a garden fork or hollow tine aerator. For large lawns, use a mechanical lawn aerator.
Give your lawn an autumn feed. Autumn lawn fertilizers are specifically formulated to be low in nitrogen, so they won’t encourage a sudden spurt of lush growth that would be damaged by winter frosts, and some contain a moss killer as well.

Ornamental plants

What flowers and bulbs to plant in October

All hardy perennials can be planted in October, giving them time to settle in over winter ready for next year. October’s also a good time to plant perennials and grasses that will give colour through winter. There are seeds to sow for next year, and most spring bulbs should be planted this month, apart from tulips which are better planted in November.

Sow in a greenhouse for planting out next year:

Hollyhocks
Sweet peas
Aquilegia

Sow directly outdoors to flower next year:

Wildflower seed mixes
Poppies
Nigella
Cornflowers

Plant spring bulbs outdoors at a depth of 2-3 times the length of the bulb:

Daffodils
Snowdrops
Bluebells
Fritillaries
Iris reticulata
Crocus
Cyclamen tubers

Plant perennials for next year, including:

Geraniums
Salvias
Daylilies
Japanese anemones

Plant for winter colour:

Violas
Heucheras
Festuca glauca
Carex
Brunnera
Hellebores
Primulas

What flowers to prune in October

Cut back perennials in October, removing faded flowerstems from evergreen perennials like heucheras and cutting back herbaceous perennials like geraniums to ground level. If possible, leave a small area un-cleared to provide a winter habitat for garden wildlife.

Plants to be cut back in October include:

Hardy geraniums
Daylilies
Hollyhocks
Verbascum
Lychnis coronaria
Shasta daisies

Flower maintenance in October

Lift dahlia, begonia and gladioli tubers. Cut off the stems and rinse the soil off the tubers. Once dry, cover the tubers in dry compost and store in a frost-free place over winter.
Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials.
Collect seeds for sowing next year.

Plants and shrubs

What trees and shrubs to plant in October

October is an ideal time to plant trees and shrubs while the soil is still warm from the summer, giving their roots time to establish well in the soil over winter before the plants come back into growth in spring. All deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs can be planted in October, for example:

Beech
Hornbeam
Holly
Hawthorn
Yew
Japanese maple
Laurel

October is a good month to plant trees and shrubs for winter scent and colour, including:

Hamamelis (witch hazel)
Cornus sanguinea
Sarcococca
Viburnum tinus
Viburnum x bodnantense

How to plant a tree

Water the tree well in its pot before planting it.
Dig a square hole the same depth as the pot and three times its width. The tree’s roots will spread out better in a square hole than a round one.
Remove the tree from its pot, place it in the hole and backfill with soil Don’t enrich the soil in the hole with compost or manure, or the roots will have no incentive to spread out in search of nutrients.
Firm the soil gently around the base of the trunk with the heel of your boot.
Water well.
Stake tall trees after planting to stop them rocking in the wind and loosening the roots.

What plants and shrubs to prune in October

It’s best to leave most pruning until later in the winter or early spring, but you can still trim yew hedges in October to keep them looking crisp through winter.

Tree and shrub maintenance in October

Move any existing shrubs and trees that are planted in the wrong place. Water them in well after moving them. Take hardwood cuttings of various shrubs, such as dogwoods, philadelphus, flowering currant and forsythia. Check tree ties and stakes are secure, especially on newly planted trees.

Things to do this month

Remove blinds and shade paint from greenhouses so that overwintering plants get as much light as possible.

Clean and disinfect greenhouses.

Tidy up beds and borders, clearing away dead and dying leaves.

Rake up fallen leaves and collect them to make leafmould

Net ponds to stop leaves falling in.

Clear ponds of excess pond weed and blanket weed.

Put pots on pot feet to avoid them getting waterlogged in winter.

Put up a bird feeder to support your garden birds through the winter months.

Take cuttings from deciduous shrubs.

Prune climbing roses once they have finished flowering.

Cut tall bush roses back by a third to avoid windrock.