Gardening season is starting to wind down as the seasons are changing. Knowing what to plant in October in your zone can help extend your growing season. Here in Pennsylvania Zone 6b, we can still plant a few things for a winter harvest, spring bloom time, or even a mid-summer harvest!
Keep your gardening vibes alive with a little extended planting before the ground freezes!
Here are some ideas for what to plant in October in zone 6b and beyond.
What can I plant in October?
In October, you can plant a variety of perennial flowers, trees and shrubs, as well as cool weather crops. Make sure you leave enough time for roots to develop and acclimate to your soil. Some cool crops may allow for a winter harvest while crops like garlic mature over a longer period of time for a summer harvest.
Ideas for What to Plant in October
If you’re starting to feel the last of gardening season slipping through your fingers, hold tight to these fun possibilities of what to plant in October!
The fall definitely slows us gardeners down a bit, but you can still enjoy lots of fall planting ideas.
Trees and Shrubs
Early October usually still gives trees and shrubs some time to acclimate before the killing freeze. If you’re thinking of updating your landscaping, now is generally a good time!
A Fall Start for Evergreen and Flowering Shrubs
Consider October for planting flowering shrubs that will brighten up your landscape and add curb appeal come springtime and summer.
You may also love the look of a new evergreen shrub as an accent in your garden bed. (Besides, they smell phenomenal during pruning time – just like Christmas!)
Planting Trees in the Fall
If planting in October, new trees should have time to adjust to your yard and start growing a bit before going dormant for the winter. Ornamental and flowering trees can get a bit of a head start before spring.
“While we still have about 5 weeks before the first frost, you can be planting shrubs and trees, making sure they are watered well and have time to settle in before the killing frost,” says Deb Ridgeway, Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Huntingdon County.
You may also enjoy getting your backyard orchard going with a new fruit tree or two come fall! This is so important to me, but we don’t have a ton of yard space ready for a bunch of fruit trees right now.
Although, I did rescue a red haven peach tree I originally tried to plant too close to our tree line a few years back. This year, it’s been doing amazing growing in a garden grow bag all summer!
It’s ALMOST as tall as me now after ONE season of new growth!
Berry Bushes
As another option, consider fruit bushes or berry brambles to get a jump start on your next season of growth. You can find blueberry bushes and raspberry bushes at some of your local garden centers right now! (written 3rd week of September)
I just saw a few at Agway in Bechtelsville, but I’m dying to get over to Lowes and the local greenhouse to see what those guys have.
Flower Bulbs – What Flowers to Plant in October
“Of course, one of the best things to plant in the fall are the many spring blooming bulbs, and it is good to get them in before the ground freezes solid, so they have a chance to put down some roots,” says Master Gardener Deb Ridgeway.
“These would include tulips, daffodils, crocus, grape hyacinth, fritillaria, snowdrops, chiondoxa, and many, many more.”
“Many local greenhouses have annuals for seasonal interest,” she adds.
In my opinion, planting perennial flower bulbs is so much better in the fall than rushing it in the spring.
(Not that you can’t, and not that I haven’t done it, but it feels like way better timing in autumn. We gardeners always have entirely too much to do come spring. Fall for the win!)
I love lilies and those are another favorite of mine to plant in the fall when possible – especially stargazer lilies and Asiatic lilies. This year, I planted them in the early summer and they barely bloomed. Therefore, I highly recommend fall for planting bulbs.
Cool Crops – What Vegetables to Plant in October
If you’ve already started some cool crops indoors, bravo! I am behind on the times this year and hope to still sneak a few in the ground before it’s too late. Always so many plants, so little time!
“You can sow cool weather crops like lettuce, kale, and chard,” Ridgeway says. “Late August is the time to sow those seeds, but you can still get some small lettuces, like mesclun mix, if you sow now. Chives and cilantro do great in cooler weather, too.”
By the way, growing lettuce in containers gives you a little more flexibility! If you watch the forecast for overnight lows, you can bring your lettuce inside to keep on growing!
If you haven’t already gotten started on what to plant in August, you can often find starter crops at the local garden centers and greenhouses in September and sometimes October. Give a call to check first if you like, to save some time.
Garlic
It’s a wonder I haven’t grown garlic yet, with how much I use it in cooking every week! I grew up loving garlic.
As a young girl, my grandfather would always make me his famous “Grandpop’s Chicken” as I called it. Garlic and rosemary infused chicken that was marinated in olive oil with a few other touches and just absolutely delicious.
I hope to plant garlic for the first time this year once I figure out some companion plants to go with it. I only have 4 raised beds for veggies and 2 for fruits, so I am constantly feeling on short supply of space.
I’ve heard with the garlic, you simply get a healthy bulb, organic if possible, and pull apart the sections, planting each to turn into its own plant. Much like growing potatoes!
I really want to try it and would be excited to hear from anyone who has.
October Garden Chores
“Fall is also the time for some garden chores,” reminds Ridgeway. “It is a good time to top dress any garden beds with some compost, and even establish a new bed by laying down layers of newspaper or builders’ paper, wetting it, and spreading compost or mulch over it to kill the grass below it.”
“Fall planting does have some risks but, if you try to plan so that new plants have at least 6 weeks before the hard frost, you will have a better chance at success,” Ridgeway shares.
If you are looking to make the most of your garden this time of year, you might enjoy my post on Putting Your Garden to Bed for Fall / Winter.
When gardening in October, look at some helpful garden blogs, Instagram gardening feeds, or other resources for inspiration. Find out what others are planting in October and see if it works for you!
For more ideas on fall planting and gardening ideas, check out these resources:
What to Plant in September in Zone 6b – BunnysGarden.com
Plant wallflowers, forget-me-not, Bellis, Primula, Viola (including winter pansies) and other spring bedding plants in prepared ground or pots. In mild areas, it is still possible to sow hardy annuals outside, to overwinter for a display next year. Continue to plant spring-flowering bulbs.
October also marks the beginning of bare-root planting season, so you can plant bare-root apples, pears and other fruit trees, along with fruiting shrubs such as blackcurrants and gooseberries.
12 vegetables to plant in October for months of hearty harvests. Some of the best vegetables to sow now will quietly bulk up as the harsher weather pinches. Japanese onions, garlic, cauliflower and asparagus are primed to make the most of winter dormancy.
October is an ideal time to plant deciduous trees, shrubs, and roses: The cool weather encourages plants to root quickly and the soil is generally easier to work since it's not as cold and mucky as it can be in the spring.
Mid-August to mid-October is an ideal time of year to plant new trees. Though, that time frame can be stretched. A good rule of thumb is that if the trees in your area still have leaves, you can plant new trees. To be 100% sure, look to the soil!
October is the season to plant spring-blooming bulbs, wildflowers, and many standard gardening favorites. The flowers that don't blossom this winter can spend the cold season in the ground, strengthening their root systems in preparation for a springtime bloom.
- Avoid planting evergreens in mid-late fall. Because they keep their foliage all winter, they are more susceptible to drying out when the soil is frozen and the winds are blowing. Having several months (rather than several weeks) to develop a sizeable root system better prepares them to face these challenges.
Yes, indeed. For regions like Wisconsin where spring can be short and summer can quickly get hot and dry, planting potatoes in the fall just might be a better option. Think about those “volunteer” potato sprouts you see in the spring — the ones that sprout from last year's potato bed.
Generally speaking, here's the rule of thumb: 10-12 weeks before first frost: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, celery. 8-10 weeks before first frost: Arugula, Chinese cabbage, collards, kale, lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, Swiss chart, turnips. 6-8 weeks before first frost: Beets, radishes.
Fertilizing in the fall helps plants be hardier when the temperatures drop. We also recommend applying fertilizer in the late fall, toward the end of October or early November. This application will catalyze one last frenzy of root growth and really give your plants some staying power through the cold months.
Spring Bulbs. All spring-blooming bulbs such as tulips and hyacinths need a period of cold to bloom, which is why they need to be planted in fall even though you won't be able to enjoy them until the following spring. ...
Planting perennials in the fall is an easy way to enjoy a bigger, more beautiful garden the following year. While most gardeners are more accustomed to planting in spring, fall is also an ideal time to get perennials established in your garden. Here are several reasons why planting perennials in fall makes good sense.
November is also a great time to plant bare-root fruit trees, which are dormant when planted but then have the full season to grow as soon as temperatures increase in spring. Trees such as apple, pear, cherry and plum can be planted now, along with blackcurrant, raspberry and gooseberry.
Fall is a great time to plant and divide perennials and shrubs. This is because, as in Spring, temperatures are cooler and there is usually plenty of rain. If you are in the market for new plants in fall you can usually find sales at garden centers when they are trying to make room for holiday trees and greens.
Although each plant's needs may vary and some will be more winter-hardy than others, in general about a month before the last fall frost is sufficient in giving the plant enough time to establish itself and take root.
Tulips are among the last spring bulbs you can plant. November is the ideal time as the colder temperatures can help stop tulip fire disease and other fungal and viral diseases which remain in the soil when it is warmer.
November is also a fine time, but the weather begins to cool rapidly by mid-month and this will slow down the growth of spring flowers and bulbs. Even December is OK, if you can find the time, and during dry years, January and February and early March are preferable to April, May or June.
What to add? Compost, raw organic matter, and organic nutrients. Autumn is a good time to improve your soil by adding raw organic matter, such as shredded leaves. When the garden season winds down, the average gardener is heading for the hammock.
In fall, plants do not need as much water as they may have needed in summer. But rather than stop watering altogether, it's best to wean them from weekly watering to every other week to monthly throughout fall.
According to Myers, the hardiest vegetables that can withstand heavy frost of air temperatures below 28 include spinach, Walla Walla sweet onion, garlic, leeks, rhubarb, rutabaga, broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, cabbage, chicory, Brussels sprouts, corn salad, arugula, fava beans, radish, mustard, Austrian winter pea and ...
Light freeze - 29° to 32° Fahrenheit will kill tender plants. Moderate freeze - 25° to 28° Fahrenheit is widely destructive to most vegetation. Severe or hard freeze - 25° Fahrenheit and colder causes heavy damage to most plants.
In fact, planting bulbs for springtime blooms is ideally accomplished in fall. This gives your bulbs plenty of time to germinate in cold weather, and you'll have less work to do when spring arrives! Some of the best flowers to plant in November include hyacinths, crocuses, established mum plants, and bare-root roses.
Plant heather, grass plants, pansy plants, violas, primulas, and trailing ivy in decorative pots for winter colour. It's not too late to plant out garden-ready winter flowering annuals, such as Pansy 'Matrix ™ Mixed'. Now's the perfect time to plant hedging!
No matter which fall gardening project you choose, be sure to make plant roots super-happy by using Miracle-Gro® Potting Mix (for containers) or Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil for Vegetables & Herbs (for in-ground).
Some fast growing fall crops like lettuce and radishes can be planted into late September, but many desirable fall crops like broccoli and carrots need several months of prime-growing conditions to mature before frost and low light levels set in. When in doubt, plant your fall crops a little early.
There are several go-to crops we consistently use in our fall plots. Brassicas such as turnips, radishes, rape, kale and canola immediately come to mind. Cereal grains such as wheat, oats, rye and triticale are used for fall bow plots just as extensively and often mixed with brassicas.
Planting tomatoes in October, our earliest date for the season, helps plants to become well established by the winter cold snap. If you plant a large container grown tomato in October, it may produce edible fruit for the holidays.
Fast-growing root crops including radishes, beets, carrots and turnips are a perfect fit for the fall growing season, because they start life in warm soil and mature under cool soil conditions. Most can be left in the garden until freezing weather is around the corner.
Zones 2a through 6b – Plant your potatoes in April and May. Zone 7a – Plant from January through March and again in August for a fall crop. Zone 7b – Plant from January through March. Zones 8a and 8b – Plant in January and February, and a fall crop in August.
In moderate or cold climates, potatoes can stay in the ground until the soil freezes in late fall or early winter. Some folks have success heavily mulching (with mulch like straw, wood chips, or shredded leaves) the patch to keep the soil from freezing and dig potatoes all winter long.
Plant potatoes when soil temperatures are above 45 F. Cold, wet soil at planting time increases the risk of seed piece decay, and planting into cool, dry soils can cause delayed sprouting and emergence of the potatoes.
Radishes. One of the fastest-growing vegetable plants you can grow is radish. Some types are ready to eat in as little as 3 weeks from seeding. They are a cool-season vegetable, meaning they do best in spring or fall, before or after the heat of summer.
Beets. Plant beets 6 to 8 weeks before your first expected frost. ...
Broad Beans. Slow growing but delicious, broad beans will grow through the winter months if planted in mid to late fall and staked in areas with lots of snow. ...
You can sow seeds for winter vegetable crops, like salad greens, radishes, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, English peas and kale. Look for transplants of other cool-season vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. Herb transplants also appear in garden centers during winter.
These cold-weather champs are kale, spinach and collards. Other hardy vegetables include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, English peas, kohlrabi and leeks. Hardy root crops are radishes and turnip, which also yields some greens from the tops. Other hardy greens include kale, mustard greens and collards.
For Winter growing herbs, plant chives, dill, parsley and chervil in all climatic zones. Rosemary, thyme and mint will also survive the Winter. Lettuce – harvest within weeks. Harvest younger leaves for better taste and encourage more leafy growth.
Pansies and violas bloom for most of the winter in mild climates, and some types will rebound in the spring in cold climates. They're technically annuals, but many varieties drop seeds so they'll come back again next spring. Also called galanthus, snowdrops must be planted in the fall for a very early spring show.
Address: 359 Kelvin Stream, Lake Eldonview, MT 33517-1242
Phone: +577037762465
Job: Product Hospitality Supervisor
Hobby: Gardening, Web surfing, Video gaming, Amateur radio, Flag Football, Reading, Table tennis
Introduction: My name is Manual Maggio, I am a thankful, tender, adventurous, delightful, fantastic, proud, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
