What to Plant in October
in the UK

October is the main garlic planting month for most of the UK. Plant individual cloves 15cm apart with the tip just below the soil surface. Both hardneck and softneck varieties planted now will be ready the following June or July.

Last chance to get Japanese overwintering sets in the ground. They need time to establish roots before the coldest weather. Varieties such as 'Senshyu Yellow' and 'Radar' are reliable choices.

A direct sowing of 'Aquadulce Claudia' or another overwintering variety now will give you plants that overwinter as small seedlings and start producing in May — weeks ahead of spring sowings. Only do this in well-drained soil; waterlogged ground will rot the seed.

October is the ideal time to plant tulip bulbs — they need cold to flower well. Alliums planted now will flower in May and June and are excellent for attracting pollinators to the plot.

A final sowing of 'Arctic King' lettuce, lamb's lettuce, and land cress in a coldframe or unheated greenhouse. Growth slows almost to a stop in the coldest months but picks up again in February.

Parsnips are best after the first frosts, which convert starches to sugar and dramatically improve flavour. Leave them in the ground and lift as needed through winter.

Leeks are at their best from October onwards and will stand in the ground through the hardest frosts. Lift as needed — they don't store well once out of the ground.

First frosts improve kale's flavour markedly. Harvest outer leaves and let the plant continue producing. A single plant can crop for months if you don't strip it bare.

Either leave in the ground and harvest as needed through winter, or lift now and store in boxes of barely damp sand in a cool shed. In heavy clay soils, lifting before waterlogging sets in is sensible.

Lift any remaining beetroot before hard frosts arrive and store in boxes of barely damp sand. Beetroot doesn't survive a hard freeze in the ground.

Any potatoes still in the ground should be lifted in October before slug damage increases in wet autumn soil. Store in paper sacks in a cool, dark, frost-free place.

If not already harvested, bring in immediately — a hard frost will damage the skin and shorten storage life significantly.

Late-keeping apple varieties such as 'Bramley' and 'Egremont Russet' are harvested in October. Store individually wrapped in cool, dark conditions.

The first sprouts are often ready in October. Pick from the bottom of the stem upwards, removing yellowing leaves as you go.

Harvest from October onwards. Celeriac is hardy and can be left in the ground through winter, lifted as needed.

October is the time to clear all finished summer crops, compost healthy material, and cover empty beds with a thick layer of compost or well-rotted manure. This feeds soil life over winter and means beds are ready to plant in spring without further preparation.

Bare-root fruit trees and soft fruit bushes become available from October and are significantly cheaper than container-grown plants. October planting gives roots time to establish before spring growth.

After the first frost blackens the foliage, lift dahlias, begonias, and gladioli. Dry and store in a cool, frost-free place in barely damp compost or newspaper.

Potatoes, squash, onions, and garlic in store all need regular checking. Remove anything showing rot, softness, or sprouting before it spreads. One bad potato really will spoil the barrel.

Clean, oil, and sharpen all tools before putting them away for the quietest months. Spade blades benefit from a thin coat of oil; wooden handles from linseed oil.

October is a good time to work out next year's bed rotation on paper. The key rule: don't grow brassicas, roots, or alliums in the same bed two years in succession.

Fleece or cloches over young spring cabbage and other brassica transplants protects them from the worst frosts and keeps growth ticking over through the coldest months.

Heavy clay soils dug over in October and left rough over winter will break down significantly under frost action, making spring preparation much easier.

Write down what worked and what didn't before you forget. What varieties performed best? What would you move or skip next year? Notes made in October save a lot of guessing the following spring.