October Gardening: Your Monthly Garden Guide
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. Winter might be on the horizon, but if you’re wondering what to grow in October, then you’ll be pleased to know that there are still plenty of options, whether you’re looking to bring some new life into your fruit garden, or want to prepare your flower beds for a colourful bloom next year. Wrap up warm, get outdoors and enjoy your garden’s autumn display!
What to grow in October and other October gardening tips
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 want to know what to plant in October or you’re just looking for some October lawn care advice, select a category below and find out how to care for your garden this autumn.
When we think of October in the fruit and vegetable patch, it’s largely images of bountiful harvests and oversized, brightly coloured squashes that occupy our thoughts. You might be surprised to learn that when it comes to planting new crops, there’s no shortage of options for growing in October. So, whether it’s getting some winter-hardy seeds in the ground or planting some new fruit trees, roll up your sleeves for a busy month in the garden.
Vegetables
You’ll likely have already planned what you want to harvest this month, but in terms of what veg to plant in October, there are a few alliums to get in the ground, as well as peas and beans. Don’t neglect your vegetable patch maintenance either; there are still some essential jobs to do to see your veggies into winter.
What vegetables to plant in October
Once you’ve cleared the beds of the last of the summer crops and stocked your fridge with all of those fresh veggies, it’s 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.
The following can all be planted outside in October:
Plant seedlings of the following
If you have access to cloches or a greenhouse, then the following can be sown inside to produce winter crops:
- Winter lettuce
- Pak choi
- Mizuna
Vegetable plant maintenance in October
If you have any tomatoes that you’re struggling to ripen, you can bring them indoors and place them in paper bags with a banana or apple (these fruits emit ethylene that helps to ripen the vegetables). Check them regularly and remove tomatoes as they ripen, as well as any that are going mouldy.
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. Asparagus foliage can be cut back to 5cm (2 inches) above ground level.
Once you’ve got your harvest in and finished planting out any new plants, you might find that your veg garden is a bit bare, so it’s a good opportunity to mulch the soil. Use an organic mulch such as compost, shredded leaves from the recent autumn falls, or you can even use a combination of bark and wood chips.
What vegetables to harvest in October
When it comes to harvesting veg, October is the month in the calendar year. Most vegetables are almost finished producing crops by now, so make the most of this final harvest. The following vegetables should be ready to harvest in October:
Fruit
October is a busy time in the garden when it comes to vegetables, but what fruit can you plant in October? The answer is generally bare root fruit trees, along with the ever-reliable strawberry. There’s also plenty to harvest this month, so make sure you brush up on your fruity dessert recipes.
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. This will give them time to settle in over winter, ready to produce a bountiful crop next year. The following fruits will all be ideal for planting in October:
These fruit trees and bushes can all be planted in October:
Growing fruit in October
As the seasons transition from warm and dry to cold and wet, it’s important to keep on top of your fruit plant maintenance, cutting back any of the plants that have finished their summer fruiting. Raspberries can be cut back to ground level, and you can tie the new canes that have grown this year into supports, ready to produce fruit next year.
You should also cut back the leaves from your strawberry plants and, if you mulched them with straw earlier in the year, you can now remove it to improve ventilation around the plants. Similarly, you can lift and divide your rhubarb plants to improve ventilation and to stop them from overcrowding each other. Use a spade to split the clumps up and replant the pieces, making sure each has a healthy bud or ‘eye’ that will produce shoots next year.
Move citrus trees indoors to a bright, frost-free place and reduce the watering frequency, letting the compost dry out between watering. Make sure you use an organic, peat-free compost.
Finally, make sure you protect your trees against pests and disease. Wrapping grease bands around apple trees will help to protect against winter moths as the bands stop the wingless female moths climbing up the trunks to lay their eggs in the branches. Scour your garden and pick up any damaged fallen fruit to stop fungal spores spreading.
What fruit to harvest in October
October is a busy month in the fruit garden as well as in the vegetable patch. The following fruits should all be ready to harvest in October:
Flowers and bulbs
Whether you’re looking for some fresh winter colours, planning ahead for a spring display or want to get some trusty perennials in the ground, when it comes to what flowers to plant in October, the main challenge is the abundance of choice. Don’t spend all of your energy on planting new flowers and bulbs though, as there’s still plenty of pruning and general maintenance to do.
What flowers and bulbs to plant in October
There’s really no shortage of options around what flowers 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 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.
All of the following can be sown directly outdoors for a vibrant display next year:
- Wildflower seed mixes
- Poppies
- Nigella
- Cornflowers
- Geraniums
- Salvias
- Daylilies
- Japanese anemones
There are also plenty of bulbs, tubers and corms that can be planted for a spring display. Plant the following at a depth of two-three times the length of the bulb using an organically formulated peat-free bulb fibre compost to encourage fast root growth:
If you’re looking to add some more immediate winter colour to your garden, then all of the below are good choices for October:
- Violas
- Heucheras
- Festuca glauca
- Carex
- Brunnera
- Hellebores
Primulas
If, after all of that, you’re still looking for something to grow and you have access to a greenhouse, any of the following can be planted inside (remember to remove any glass white wash paint to make the most of the receding number of sunlight hours):
- Hollyhocks
- Sweet peas
- Aquilegia
Plant seedlings of the following
Growing flowers and bulbs in October
Check your garden for overgrown clumps of perennials and lift and divide them. You can replant them elsewhere or pass them on to family and neighbours for a new lease of life. Similarly, you can lift dahlias, begonias and gladioli tubers. Cut off the stems and rinse the soil off of the tubers. Once they’re dry, cover them in dry, peat-free compost and store them in a frost-free environment over winter.
Finally, check for any seeds and store them for sowing next year – you can keep them in a paper envelope in a dry place. Just remember to write what they are on the front!
Cut back your perennials in October, removing faded flower stems from evergreens such as 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.
The following flowers can all be cut back in October:
- Hardy geraniums
- Daylilies
- Hollyhocks
- Verbascum
- Lychnis coronaria
- Shasta daisies
Plants and shrubs
If you’ve been asking yourself, ‘can I plant trees in October?’ then great news: not only is October an ideal time to plant trees, shrubs and a variety of other plants, it’s also a good time to relocate any of the above. Remember to check the stability of any supporting stakes while you’re at it to ensure they make it through the windier winter months.
What plants and shrubs to plant in October
If you’ve been planning on sprucing your garden up with some trees and shrubs, this is the month to do it. The soil is still warm from the summer, giving their roots time to establish over winter before the plants come back into growth in spring. All deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs can be planted in October, including:
October is a good month to plant trees and shrubs if you want to add fresh scents and winter colours to your garden. Don’t forget to add a thick layer of mulch (such as wood chips or bark) to your soil after planting. This will help to lock in the moisture and suppress weed growth. The following are all good options for a winter display:
- Hamamelis (witch hazel)
- Cornus sanguinea
- Sarcococca
- Viburnum tinus
- Viburnum x bodnantense
How to plant a tree
The ideal planting conditions will vary from species to species, so it’s worth checking our guides for specific recommendations, but below is some generic advice on planting trees during October.
Before you even approach putting the tree in the ground, make sure you water it well in its pot. While your tree is soaking up the moisture, dig a square hole the same depth as the pot and three times its width – the roots will spread out better in a square hole than in a round one.
Once you’re satisfied with the size of the hole, remove the tree from its pot and place it in the hole, backfilling with soil. Firm the soil gently around the base of the trunk using the heel of your shoe and water it well. Tall trees can be staked after planting to stop them from swaying in the wind, therefore loosening the roots.
Growing plants and shrubs 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.
If you have any plants and trees that you want to relocate, October is a good opportunity to do so – make sure you follow the advice above for planting trees and remember to water them well both before and after moving them. If you’re adding any stakes to aid with growth, take the opportunity to check that all of the stakes on any established trees are still secure.
Elsewhere in the garden, you should take hardwood cuttings of various shrubs, such as dogwoods, philadelphus, flowering currant and forsythia.
As one of the last opportunities to care for your lawn before winter sets in, lawn treatment in October is likely to consist of scarification and aeration, repairing patchy grass, and feeding your lawn. After a summer of frequent mowing, you can reduce the frequency with which you’re cutting your grass if you didn’t already do so in September.
October lawn care
October lawn care is crucial for preparing your lawn for the winter months, especially in colder areas of the country where it may be the last opportunity to mow your grass before winter sets in. Scarifying, aerating and feeding your lawn will result in strong, healthy turf with fewer weeds next year. You can also consider using an organic lawn feed to provide some extra nutrition.
Scarifying your lawn is especially important for helping to get rid of moss and dead grass. You can either rake it vigorously with a spring tine rake or use a mechanical lawn scarifier. Aerating your lawn improves drainage, so take the opportunity to do this while you’ve got your garden tools out. It can be done manually by spiking holes with a garden fork but, if you have a larger lawn, you may want to consider using a mechanical lawn aerator.
When it comes to mowing your lawn, use a higher blade setting and reduce the frequency of your trims, mowing only occasionally to keep it looking tidy.
Finally, make sure you keep on top of any fallen leaves, raking them up regularly so that sunlight can still reach the grass. If you have space, you can put the leaves in bags and leave them for a year, giving them time to decompose into leaf mould, which you can use to condition your soil.
Lawn treatment in October
If you live in the south of the UK – or if we’re having a particularly mild autumn – then this may be your last opportunity to look out for any signs of yellow or bald patches on your lawn that may have been caused by wear and tear over summer. Consider repairing these patches with a fast-growing lawn seed.
Finally, give your lawn a naturally-derived autumn feed. Autumn lawn feed is specifically formulated to be low in nitrogen, so it won’t encourage a sudden spurt of lush growth that would be damaged by winter frosts. Some also contain a moss control, which tends to be more prolific at this time of year.
