October Planting Guide

As pumpkins & winter squash are finally ready for harvesting and the remaining tomatoes are ripening, many of you are wondering, what now! If you are keen on keeping a home veggie garden going year round, don't fret, there is always something to plant since we have the luxury of a temperate climate. 

Below, you will find a list of different crops you can plant this October. 

  1. Root vegetables: Plant beets, radishes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and rutabaga from seed this month. For a colorful harvest, try Golden, Bull’s Blood, and Chioggia beets and white, red, purple, and pink radish varieties. Carrots also come in a variety of colors, including yellow, maroon, and several shades of orange.
  2. Leafy greens and Brassicas: Lettuces, spinach, and Swiss chard can be planted from seed or from transplant this month. Plant members of the Brassica family, including broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, and cauliflower, from transplant. Kale can also be planted from seed in October.
  3. Alliums: The allium family features strong-tasting veggies like onions, garlic, shallots, chives, and leeks. Besides spicing up savory dishes, alliums help deter pests from your garden.
  4. Peas: Plant sugar snap peas, snow peas, and garden peas from seed. Be sure to provide this vining plant with a sturdy trellis to climb, and enjoy its lovely blossoms. Harvest frequently to encourage plants to produce more peas.
  5. Artichoke: Save space for this large, dramatic member of the thistle family (which grows to a full size of 2-3 wide and 3-4 feet tall), and you won’t regret it! Plant artichokes from transplant in October, and harvest the large flower buds in early spring (you can also leave some buds to open into brilliant periwinkle blooms.

Another option, if your garden is set up for it, would be cover cropping! Rather than being harvested for food, cover crops are tilled back into the soil at the end of their growing cycle where the nutrients are released as the plants decompose.

**Side note: Planting a dense cover crop in fall prevents weeds from getting established, so there is less weeding to do come spring.

Stop by and see the organic starters and seeds we have for all your planting needs!