Your guide to October gardening

October is when autumn really starts to settle in. The garden begins slowing down and the air carries the first real chill. While the summer fades, this month is about preparation, protection, and enjoying the last harvests. It’s a practical and also thoughtful time of year, where we can consider how to best allow the garden to rest over winter but also be prepared for next spring. 

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What to Sow or Plant 

Outdoor sowing becomes limited at this time, but it’s still a good month for planting hardy crops and spring-flowering plants 

Vegetables: Sow broad beans and hardy peas for an early crop next spring. Garlic, shallots, and overwintering onion sets can go in now. You can also sow winter-hardy lettuce or lamb’s lettuce under cloches or in a greenhouse. 

Flowers: Plant spring bulbs (daffodils, tulips, crocus, hyacinths) for a colourful start to next year. 

Shrubs: October is one of the best times for planting trees, roses, and shrubs as the soil is still warm enough for roots to establish. 

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Harvesting This Month 

Vegetables: Pumpkins and squashes, maincrop potatoes, carrots, beetroot, leeks, kale, and parsnips. 

Fruit: Apples, pears, and late-season raspberries. 

Ideas for enjoying the harvest: 

• Roast squashes with herbs for warming soups. 

• Bake apple crumbles or press apples into juice or cider. 

• Store potatoes, onions, and squashes in a cool, dark, airy place (such as a garage or watertight shed) for winter use.

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Garden Maintenance 

Clear and tidy: Compost spent crops, fallen leaves, and discard any diseased material.

Soil care: Dig over empty beds and incorporate compost. 

Pests and disease: Keep watch for slugs around damp beds, and check brassicas for caterpillars.

Pruning: Cut back perennials that have died down, prune roses, and trim hedges. 

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Seasonal Highlights 

Protect from frost: Bring tender plants indoors (geraniums, citrus, etc.) and cover half-hardy ones with fleece or cloches. 

Planting bulbs: A wonderful reminder that colour and vibrance will once again return in spring. 

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Final Tip of the Month 

October should be the final month of preparation before the cold becomes bitter. Every bulb planted, leaf raked, and crop stored is an investment in the seasons ahead. Work steadily, enjoy the harvest, and your garden will thank you in spring! 

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