Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus)
Delicious in salads and sandwiches, the crisp, sweet crunch of a cucumber is one of the joys of summer.
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.
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.
Delicious in salads and sandwiches, the crisp, sweet crunch of a cucumber is one of the joys of summer.
Courgettes are a common summer staple in the vegetable garden.
Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are tubers that grow and form at the plant’s roots.
Garlic is the base of so many delicious dishes, and growing garlic at home is now very popular.
Delicious in pies, soups and stews, and full of vitamins and minerals, pumpkins are a tasty autumn and winter treat.
Lupins are a traditional addition to any garden, providing colourful flowers from late spring through to mid-summer.
French beans are a versatile vegetable, producing attractive, long, thin pods, and creamy haricot beans.
Salad rocket, like its name, is a fast-growing salad leaf, perfect for adding a peppery spiciness to your salads.
Chard, or Swiss Chard, is a delicious and beautiful plant which will bring harvests to the kitchen and colour to the...
Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) is a hardy perennial known for its hot and peppery roots, widely used in cooking and...
If you’re a strawberry fan, the many varieties of ‘Fragaria × ananassa’ are easy to grow at home.
What could be better than a bowl of sweet, freshly-picked raspberries in summer?
Eaten fresh, baked in muffins or as the star attraction in jams or desserts, blueberries are always delicious.
With their exotic and enormous foliage, banana plants add a taste of the tropics to the garden.
Butternut squash are a late season favourite, with attractive fruits which will keep well throughout the autumn and...
What better way to round off a summer meal than with a luscious peach? Even better, a peach you’ve grown yourself!
Alliums belong to the same family as onions, garlic and leeks, as you can tell from the scent when you crush the foliage...
These stunning plants provide a captivating elegance to a border. Large colourful flowers flourish in late spring and...
There are over 900 distinct species of Salvia, providing a huge range of smells and vivacious colours.
Pretty and delicate, Geums provide colour throughout the summer. They are frost tolerant, happy in a range of soil types...
Most Honeysuckles have a sweet heady summer fragrance and are very beneficial to garden wildlife.
Coming in a range of colours and sizes, Snapdragons bloom from June through to October on tall spire stems.
Anemones are a cheerful and vibrant group of plants, providing interest from early spring onwards.
A well planted tree will live for decades, providing endless benefits to the environment and wildlife.
Plants in the Sedum genus are easy to grow, produce lots of nectar for pollinators, and provide lovely autumn colour.
Calathea do have a reputation of being tricky to grow, but these challenges are well worth mastering
Hostas are usually grown for their beautiful leaves, with the attractive foliage coming in various shades of green, blue...
Geraniums are versatile plants which can add a multitude of colours and scents to the garden.
Crocosmia bring flashes of bright colour and vibrance to a garden, with their graceful, delicately arching flower stalks...
Hailing from a diverse range of habitats/regions, there’s a Euphorbia to suit you – whether you’re looking for a...
Commonly known as the butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii is a hardy, summer flowering shrub which is very easy to grow.
A slow-growing and easy-to-care-for plant, the bay tree is extremely popular. The aromatic leaves are widely used in all...
The Ornamental Quince is a small, pretty shrub with lots to offer to any garden.
You may have heard of Carnations, Sweet Williams, and Pinks - these are all types of Dianthus, the collective name for...
Gypsophila has earned its nickname from the sweet-sour milk smell of its flowers, which resemble that of baby’s breath.
Common hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) are an elegant, traditional flower, perfect for a classic cottage garden.
Magnolia trees are renowned for their stunning blooms. On deciduous magnolias, these fragrant flowers – available in...
Catnip is widely recognized as the plant that can send cats wild with its scent! However, its benefits extend far beyond...
Gardenias are cherished for their beautifully fragrant blooms and glossy, evergreen foliage. These warm-climate shrubs...
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:
Sow outdoors for spring crops:
Plant out:
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:
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:
These fruits should all be ready to harvest 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.
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:
Sow directly outdoors to flower next year:
Plant spring bulbs outdoors at a depth of 2-3 times the length of the bulb:
Plant perennials for next year, including:
Plant for winter colour:
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:
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:
October is a good month to plant trees and shrubs for winter scent and colour, including:
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.
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.