Vegetable garden calendar - October

Sowing under cover, polytunnels or cold frames

In October nights are cooler, and dew sometimes crystallises into small frozen droplets. So you must be vigilant about sowing you are going to undertake. Equip yourself with protective tunnels, forcing fleeces, or place your sowings under a greenhouse or cold frame as soon as temperatures approach 0 °C to prevent them suffering harmful effects of cold that can arrive early in some regions.

This applies to :

• Spring cabbages, such as Précoce de Louvier — do not overprotect them otherwise they will run to seed; a simple forcing fleece will suffice
• Radishes: in cool climate, cover them with a forcing tunnel
• Lettuces to be sown under a tunnel or cold frame — this is the case for lettuce Merveille d’hiver, which will still require humus-bearing soil at sowing, otherwise it will run to seed quite easily. If your soil is not naturally rich, you can add fertiliser, preferably organic, so as not to burn roots
• Round or early carrots: sow variety Rothild at end of month, for harvest from May

Tunnels and mini-greenhouses make it easy to protect your October sowings

Sowing in open ground

Before sowing anything, make sure to add manure or compost to your soil to feed it. Remember that, to your great delight, your garden produced your favourite vegetables this summer, but it needs strength for that, just as we need food for energy.

Discover all our natural amendments: manures, fertilisers and plant feeds to boost your soil

In October, you can sow directly outdoors :

• Spinach, sow until mid-October. After emergence, thin out keeping only one young plant every 40 centimetres. Perpétual variety is one of my favourites
• Early round- or wrinkled-seeded peas in regions with mild climate, such as climbing pea Roi des conserves (round-seeded). As Fabaceae, they make excellent green fertilisers, fixing nitrogen from the air into the soil, which benefits neighbouring plants
• Chervil, such as Common Organic Chervil
• Green fertilisers such as Spring vetch, which, thanks to its exploratory roots, breaks up soil deeply and suppresses adventive weeds with its abundant foliage. You can also still sow Alfalfa, White mustard, Crimson clover, Cerdagne vetch or rye until November.

Cerdagne vetch, direct sowing and application of compost or manure on vegetable plot

Vegetables to plant in the vegetable garden

In October, it’s the right time to plant :

• Purple garlic, Germidour for harvest in June/July
• Yellow onion Senshyu Yellow, in light, well-drained soil
• White onion Early White of Paris for example, or Red Florence which can be sown in both spring and autumn. However, avoid amending your soil just before sowing

For garlic and onions, plant them on a ridge to improve drainage. They dislike moisture, which makes them rot.

• Strawberry plants, variety Charlotte (perpetual). Fairly demanding, plant them following an enriching crop such as beans or peas
• Sorrel, Large de Belleville for example, will add a tangy note to your mixed salads
• Peas, for regions with harsh winters, provide a forcing tunnel. Variety Dwarf pea Very Early from Annonay tolerates light frosts
• Spring cabbages, to be planted under cover

Planting spring cabbages

In October, in the vegetable garden, it’s also a good time to…

• Pull up root vegetables such as Vitelotte chicory, carrots and red beetroot as needed, celeriac, beans…
• Harvest the squashes to store in a dry, sound place
• Harvest potatoes before they rot in the soil, store in a dry, cool, well-ventilated and dark place
• Divide chives
• Keep an eye on the weather; if frost is forecast, harvest any remaining vegetables from the garden. A tomato still green will ripen perfectly on a sunny windowsill, whereas if exposed to frost it will blacken and become inedible
• Finish pruning raspberry canes and fruiting brambles. It’s also the time to propagate raspberry plants by taking young suckers.
• Ventilate polytunnels and cold frames, and lift cloches as soon as weather allows to let air circulate
• Keep weeding, relentlessly! Place pulled weeds on the compost to prevent them re-establishing elsewhere in your vegetable patch
• Remove vegetable plants that are no longer producing, such as tomato plants. Move these spent plants to the compost as diseases can develop on them and contaminate your vegetable garden
• Protect delicate sowings with polytunnels or horticultural fleece. Ensure both ends of the tunnel are open so air can circulate properly inside

Squashes, red beetroot and last tomatoes can be harvested in October

Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Pink garlic

Orache

Artichoke

Asparagus

Aubergine

Carrot

Celeriac

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Brussels sprout

Cabbage

Shallot

Spinach

Broad bean

Cut-and-come-again lettuce

Spring lettuce

Turnip

Onion

Sorrel

Chilli / pepper

Summer leek

please note This sowing calendar is provided for guidance. Bear in mind that periods of sowing, pricking out, planting and harvests can be earlier or later depending on region and weather. Different varieties of the same vegetable plant can also result in earlier or later harvests. You can refer to our map to find which climate zone corresponds to your geographical area. Before sowing or planting your vegetables and aromatic plants, bear in mind the weather and check the forecast for the coming days! Written by Hélène Read all articles → Comments Leave a comment → Name Email Website Comment Send us your comments Subscribe! Contents Ok →