What to Plant in October

It's hard to believe October is already here! While there's still plenty to harvest from the garden, there's also a few crops you can plant and sow now.

Garlic

Garlic comes from the mountainous regions of Central Asia and has adapted to extreme changes in temperature including very cold nights. As a result, garlic performs best when subjected to a cold period of one or two months. Ground temperatures of between 0 — 10º celsius encourages optimum clove formation making it very suited to our Irish climate and autumn planting often produces better crops than garlic sown in spring. Garlic enjoys a long growing season, so if planted in October up to early November, the harvest usually occurs in August and the bulbs are much bigger. However, garlic can be sown until Christmas and will still have plenty of time to produce a great crop.

Check out our blog post on How to Grow Garlic.

Onions

Autumn planting onions, grow slowly over winter to give you a crop of fresh onions the following May or June, just as your stored onions will have started to sprout.

Overwintering onions are often called ‘Japanese’ onions (because they were first developed in Japan), these can be sown outside from late September up to early November. The main benefit of growing overwintering onions is that you will have a crop of onions ready for eating about a month before your main crop is ready for harvest.

Check out our blogpost on How to Grow Onions.

Flower Bulbs

October is the right time to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as; Tulips, Daffodils, Crocuses, Alliums, and Hyacinths. These bulbs require a cold period to bloom effectively. Plant them in well-drained soil, ensuring they’re placed at a depth about three times their height. These will bring vibrant colours to your garden in early spring, when little else is blooming.

Seeds

There's always something to sow. If you have a cold frame or tunnel there is still time to sow Winter hardy leaf crops such as; Winter Purslane, Mizuna, Lamb’s Lettuce and Spinach 'Verdil'  For a head start on next year you can try sowing Sweet Peas and 'Aquadulce' Broad Beans.

Yellow Rattle

Yellow rattle is a semi-parasitic plant that helps control vigorous grasses, making it a great choice for those aiming to create wildflower meadows. Before germination, the seed needs to be exposed to an extended cold period of up to 4 months, this is a process called Vernalisation. Sow its seeds in October, directly onto the soil where you want them to grow. This plant thrives in poor soil and reduces grass competition, encouraging a wider variety of wildflowers to establish.

Check out our blog post on Establishing and Maintaining Yellow rattle.

Winter Green Manures

There's still a few green manures that can be sown in October; Rye, Triticale, Winter Field beans, & Winter Vetch.

Covering your soil with a green manure during Winter can help prevent nutrient leaching and erosion, suppress weed growth, and stabilise the soil with it's roots. When incorporated back into the soil in Spring, the green manure adds organic matter that enhances soil structure, nutrient retention, and moisture holding capacity.