Last-Minute Fall Garden: What You Can Still Plant in October

What to plant & why

• Arugula: I favor the variety ‘Astro’ because it’s mild and fast. You’ll have baby leaves in about 3 weeks if conditions are good.
• Spinach: ‘Bloomsdale Long Standing’ hangs in there when it gets chilly in the cool temperatures. I also use it for freezing or sautéing later.
• Lettuce (cut-and-come-again types): ‘Black Seeded Simpson’ or a looseleaf mesclun blend work beautifully. You harvest outer leaves and let the rest keep growing.

Tips for success

• Shallow sowing is okay. Many of these greens germinate just under ¼ inch of soil.
• Shade in midday if possible. In early October, intense sun can stress newly germinated seedlings. If you don’t have partial shade, a light shade cloth in the afternoon helps.
• Sow in succession. Don’t plant your entire row at once — sow a few seeds now, then a few more in a week or two. That way, you get a longer harvest window.

Once those greens grow, you can wash, preserve, and snack on them. (Check out my post on Washing & Preserving Greens.)

Cold-Hardy Greens to Carry You Through

These are the crops that reward patience. They take a little more time, but with some protection, they’ll keep feeding you well into late fall — sometimes even early winter.

Varieties to try

• Kale — Favorites: ‘Winterbor’ (sturdy and cold-tolerant) and ‘Red Russian’ (beautiful, peppery leaves).
• Mustard greens — ‘Southern Giant Curled’ is bold, fast, and forgiving.
• Collards — ‘Georgia Southern’ holds up in our area.
• Swiss chard — ‘Bright Lights’ gives you vibrant color in its stalks even when the rest of the garden fades.

Planting & care tips

• Start with healthy transplants (if possible). If you can get seedlings rather than sow seed, you give yourself a head start. Many seed companies are sold out by this point in the season anyway, and local nurseries will probably have their starts on sale.
• Use row covers or cold frames early. Especially for the first few nights — new plants are vulnerable.
• Spacing matters. Give them room for airflow; crowding leads to damp, disease-prone patches.
• Prune bottom leaves. I like to strip lower leaves to improve airflow and reduce fungus risk.

Later, when your kale is thick enough, you can turn those leaves into goodies like kale chips. Even my kids love these!

Roots Worth Planting

Roots planted this time of year may not be ginormous by winter’s worst days, but they’ll either be ready to dig early or sit underground and surprise you come next spring.

What to try

• Carrots — ‘Napoli’ is a favorite. I often harvest a few young carrots in late winter, then let the rest sit under mulch for a spring harvest. The nice thing is they will be super sweet come spring.
• Beets — ‘Detroit Dark Red’ is reliable and tends to keep well.
• Turnips — ‘Hakurei’ are sweet, tender, and work even raw.

Tips for success

• Soil prep is critical. Roots need loose, deep soil. I double-dig or loosen down at least 8–10 inches. 
• Mulch heavily. After planting, I cover the bed with straw or chopped leaves to lessen freeze/thaw cycles.
• Thin carefully. Because growth is slower in the fall, thin gently when you see seedlings, so the rest have space to grow.

If you’re like me and tend to run out of ideas for the overload of radishes you plant, you might enjoy my post on Quick & Simple Fermented Radishes.

October’s Must: Garlic

Planting garlic in October is one of my non-negotiables on my planting calendar. If I do nothing else in the garden this month, I’m planting garlic. It’s one of the most used ingredients in my kitchen, and one of my favorite things to grow.

Varieties & planting tips

• Hardneck garlic tends to fare better through our winters. I reach for ‘Music’ or ‘German Extra Hardy.’ It also has the benefit of putting up a flowering stem, called a scape. These can be harvested in the spring and used in all kinds of recipes. I personally love to make garlic scape pesto and compound butter. You can learn how to harvest them in my blog post “How to Harvest Garlic Scapes“
• Plant individual cloves, pointy side up, about 2–3 inches deep, spaced 4–6 inches apart.
• After planting, mulch heavily — 4–5 inches of straw or shredded leaves helps insulate the soil.

I always order my garlic from Keene Organics and have been so pleased with their quality over the years. If you’d like more depth or a refresher on garlic, check out my full guide: Grow & Harvest Garlic.

Tools & Tactics for Cool-Weather Gardening

Gardening in October doesn’t require a whole new shed full of gear, but a few adjustments and tools make a big difference. Here are the things I reach for now:

• Row covers/frost blankets — my go-to for giving plants those extra mild nights.
• Cold frame or low tunnel — something I can slide or lift when the sun or frost swings through.
• A soil thermometer — knowing your soil temperature helps you time sowing (I avoid below ~45°F).
• Mulch materials — straw, leaves, shredded bark — whatever you’ve got to create a layer of mulch to protect root zones.
• Fine-mist watering wand or hose — avoid heavy sprays that disturb tiny seedlings.
• Garden journal or planner — obviously, I love my own tool: SeedTime Garden Planner helps me know what’s still possible, when to cover, and reminds me of tasks I’d otherwise forget.

You can check out my full list of Cool Weather Gardening Supplies in my Amazon Storefront