The top plants to plant in October include garlic, spinach, kale, and radishes. Cover crops like winter rye also belong on the list. Fall is a full planting window for many crops. Cool soil and mild air help young plants take root with less stress.
I plant hardneck garlic every October without fail in my own beds. The cloves go into the ground in mid-October. By July I pull up fat bulbs the size of golf balls. This October vegetable planting habit gives me more garlic than my family can use all year.
October works for many crops because the soil stays at 50 to 60°F (10 to 16°C) through most of the month. Cool soil cuts down on transplant shock for young plants. Pest pressure drops too since most bugs slow down or die off as nights get cold.
My first fall garden was a flop because I planted too late in November. The ground froze before my spinach could root well. Now I aim for at least 4 weeks before my first hard frost. This gives roots time to grab hold and store energy for the cold months.
Hardneck Garlic
- Plant time: Sow cloves 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes for best root growth and big bulbs next summer.
- Depth and space: Push each clove 2 inches (5 centimeters) deep with 6 inches (15 centimeters) between cloves for room to grow.
- Harvest reward: Pull bulbs in July when the lower leaves turn brown and dry on the stem.
Spinach and Arugula
- Cold tolerance: Both crops handle frost down to 20°F (-7°C) with no problem and taste sweeter after a chill.
- Quick harvest: Spinach gives baby leaves in 30 days while arugula is ready in just 3 weeks from sowing.
- Winter cover: A light row cover keeps these greens going right through most winters in zones 6 and warmer.
Radishes and Turnips
- Fast growth: Radishes pop out of the soil in 25 to 30 days even in cool fall weather conditions.
- Sweet roots: Cool soil boosts sugar in turnips and radishes, giving you better flavor than summer crops.
- Easy sowing: Just press seeds half an inch (1.3 centimeters) deep into loose soil and water once.
Winter Rye Cover Crop
- Soil builder: Rye roots go 3 feet (90 centimeters) deep and add tons of organic matter when tilled in spring.
- Weed blocker: Thick rye growth shades out winter weeds and stops erosion on bare beds all winter.
- Nitrogen save: Rye pulls leftover nitrogen from the soil and holds it until spring when you need it most.
Lettuce and kale belong on your fall garden crops list too. Both crops shrug off frost and keep growing into November. Kale gets sweeter after the first hard frost hits the leaves. You can pick fresh greens right up to Thanksgiving in most parts of the country.
Mulch your new plantings with 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 centimeters) of straw right after you water them in. The straw layer keeps roots warm through hard frosts. It also holds moisture in dry fall weeks and blocks weeds from popping up around your young plants.
Your autumn planting guide should match your local zone and first frost date. Pull up your USDA zone online and write down the date your area first hits 32°F. Count back 4 to 6 weeks from that date. This gives you your last safe day to plant.
Start with garlic if you have never planted in October before. The crop is the easiest fall win in the whole garden. You put cloves in the ground, mulch them, and forget about them until next summer. Few crops give such a big reward for so little work.
Read the full article: Companion Planting Guide for Vegetables
