Autumn has arrived, the garden is donning new colors as daylight and temperatures gradually dip. Gardeners know all too well that the end of summer isn’t a time to kick back, since many tasks still lie ahead this season. October, in particular, is a favorable month for planting a number of star vegetables in the allotment.
Which vegetables to plant in October?
While September is the ideal month for planting winter leafy greens, October is not to be left out, with many vegetables that promise tasty dishes:
- Rhubarb
- Carrot, preferably sown under cover
- Pink garlic
- Arugula (rocket), to sow
- White and purple garlic
- Winter red onion
- White onion
- Grey shallot
- Strawberries
- Endives
- Mâche (lamb’s lettuce), to sow
- Asparagus (in regions with mild winters)
- Cauliflower, to transplant
- Spring cabbage, to transplant under cover
- Spinach, to sow
- Artichoke (in regions with mild winters)
- Winter lettuce, to transplant under cover
- Broad beans and peas, also in temperate climates
- Aromatic herbs: chives, scallions, tarragon, sorrel, bay laurel, savory, thyme, rosemary.
October, an ideal month for planting fruit trees in the orchard
October is also an ideal autumn month for planting fruit trees. Why is that? Because they will benefit from soil warmed by the summer, making it conducive to healthy root development before winter.
Several fruit trees can thus enrich the orchard, planted in a root ball or with bare roots; the latter having an easier time developing a root system than container-grown trees.
Fruit trees to plant in containers (or pots):
- Cherry tree
- Quince tree
- Walnut
- Apple tree
- Peach tree
- Plum tree
- Pear tree
- Actinidia
- Fig tree
Fruit trees with bare roots to plant in October:
Raspberries, it is best to plant them about 45 cm (18 inches) apart and about 10 cm (4 inches) deep.
Mulberries, plant with at least 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) between plants. Also prune any canes to about 30 cm (12 inches) above the soil at a bud.
Currants and gooseberries, plant in well-drained soil. Favor sunny and sheltered spots.
What else to do in the vegetable garden in October?
There are other tasks for fall-loving gardeners in October. When the weather is mild, open tunnels and frames to aerate the plantings, and likewise lift the cloches. This is also the time to transplant seedlings started in the previous weeks and to thin those already in the ground, removing the weaker ones.
The fall is also the season to clean your vegetable patch and enrich it, so it’s ready for winter and frost:
- Pull weeds and remove spent plants.
- Loosen the soil in the garden, then spread a thick layer of compost to nourish the soil, even if it isn’t fully decomposed yet.
- This is also the time to harvest the last of the summer crops, such as tomatoes and eggplants.
Create a surface compost with plants finishing production
In autumn, still-green tomatoes should be picked to ripen indoors or left on the plant to form a surface compost. A compost layer to protect and feed the soil, which can also be made with bean plants or zucchini that have ceased producing, for example.
All you need to do is cut the fallen vegetables into pieces, along with the above-ground parts of the plants at the end of production. Leave them on the ground to dry and decompose. Above all, do not pull up the plants, because as they break down, the roots will also enrich the soil of the vegetable garden.
