Guides / What to plant
What to plant in October
October is for autumn colour and frost preparation. Japanese maples turn, chrysanthemums flower as the nights lengthen, and tender plants need bringing indoors before the first frost.
These are Northern Hemisphere months. If you garden in the Southern Hemisphere, the equivalent month is April.
In the garden
Century Plant
Agave americana
How to grow the century plant. Flowering, sap irritation, overwintering in wet climates and propagating the offsets.
Coral bells
Heuchera americana
How to grow heuchera, Heuchera americana. Coloured foliage for shade all year, why the crown lifts out of the ground, and dealing with vine weevil.
Firethorn
Pyracantha coccinea
How to grow pyracantha, Pyracantha coccinea. Firethorn berries for autumn colour, training it flat against a wall, and living with thorns that puncture rather than scratch.
Florist's Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum x morifolium
How to grow chrysanthemums, Chrysanthemum x morifolium. Pinching for bushy plants, disbudding for large blooms, overwintering the stools, and the day length that sets the buds.
Garden Tulip
Tulipa gesneriana
How to grow garden tulips, Tulipa gesneriana. Why they go in late, how deep to plant, why the second year disappoints, and how to spot tulip fire before it spreads.
Grape hyacinth
Muscari armeniacum
How to grow grape hyacinths, Muscari armeniacum. Planting depth, why the leaves appear in autumn and look untidy all winter, and how to stop it taking over.
Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna
How to grow hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna. Planting a bare-root hedge, the trimming that thickens it, laying an old one, May blossom and the haws that follow.
Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
How to grow horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum. Conkers, why the leaves go brown every August, bleeding canker, and why a conker is not a sweet chestnut.
Japanese rose
Rosa rugosa
How to grow rugosa rose, Rosa rugosa. The best rose for salt wind and sand, tomato-sized hips you can eat, and why it is now controlled as an invasive species.
Spindle
Euonymus europaeus
How to grow spindle, Euonymus europaeus. The pink capsules and orange seeds that make it the brightest native shrub in autumn, its value to wildlife, and why the fruit must not be eaten.
Virginia creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
How to grow Virginia creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia. Scarlet autumn colour on a bare wall, whether it damages brickwork, and keeping it out of the gutters.
Wall Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster horizontalis
How to grow wall cotoneaster, Cotoneaster horizontalis. The herringbone branching that identifies it, training it flat against a wall, berries for birds and the law on planting it in the wild.
Herbs and edibles
American pawpaw
Asimina triloba
How to grow American pawpaw, Asimina triloba. The largest fruit native to North America, custard-textured and tropical-tasting, from a tree hardy to -25 deg C.
Aromatic Ginger
Kaempferia galanga
How to grow aromatic ginger, Kaempferia galanga. The flat-leaved kencur of Indonesian cooking, its camphorous rhizome, and growing it as a pot plant under glass.
Asian pear
Pyrus pyrifolia
How to grow Asian pear, Pyrus pyrifolia. Why you pick it crisp instead of ripening it soft, the pollination partner it needs, and thinning the fruit for size.
Autumn olive
Elaeagnus umbellata
How to grow autumn olive, Elaeagnus umbellata. A nitrogen-fixing shrub with silver leaves and speckled red fruit, and why it needs planting with thought.
Black walnut
Juglans nigra
How to grow black walnut, Juglans nigra. Superb timber, a rich strong-flavoured nut, and a root system that poisons the ground around it.
Bread Wheat
Triticum aestivum
How to grow wheat, Triticum aestivum. The three genomes behind a risen loaf, how to tell an ear of wheat from barley in a field, and why the plant got shorter in the 1960s.
Canistel
Pouteria campechiana
How to grow canistel, Pouteria campechiana. The egg fruit whose flesh has the texture of a hard-boiled yolk, why it divides people so sharply, and how to eat one properly.
Cattley Guava
Psidium cattleianum
How to grow Cattley guava, Psidium cattleianum. The hardiest guava, small enough to fruit on a windowsill, red and yellow forms, and the reason Hawaii would like it gone.
Cherimoya
Annona cherimola
How to grow cherimoya, Annona cherimola. Warm days, cool winter rest, hand pollination, fruit ripening and seed safety.
Chinese chestnut
Castanea mollissima
How to grow Chinese chestnut, Castanea mollissima. A blight-resistant chestnut with sweet nuts, needing a partner tree and acid soil.
Chinese wolfberry
Lycium chinense
How to grow Chinese wolfberry, Lycium chinense. The leafier of the two goji species, grown across southern China as a vegetable as much as for its fruit.
Chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa
How to grow chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa. A tough shrub with brilliant autumn colour, and fruit so astringent it is named for what it does to your mouth.
Crab apple
Malus sylvestris
How to grow crab apple, Malus sylvestris. Britain's only native apple, the pollination it gives an orchard, and turning sour fruit into jelly.
Cranberry
Vaccinium macrocarpon
How to grow cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon. Why you do not need a bog, the acid soil it does need, and picking in October after the first frost.
Einkorn
Triticum monococcum
How to grow einkorn, Triticum monococcum. The oldest wheat, one grain to a spikelet, and the crop found in the stomach of a five-thousand-year-old man.
Emmer Wheat
Triticum dicoccum
How to grow emmer, Triticum dicoccum. One of the eight founder crops, the wheat that fed Egypt and Rome, and the ancestor standing behind every plate of pasta.
Filbert
Corylus maxima
How to grow filbert, Corylus maxima. The long-husked hazel behind Kentish Cob, why you need two of them, and the squirrels that will take the crop first.
Finger lime
Microcitrus australasica
How to grow finger lime, Microcitrus australasica. An Australian rainforest citrus whose fruit is filled with juice vesicles that burst like caviar.
Fox grape
Vitis labrusca
How to grow fox grape, Vitis labrusca. The American slip-skin grape behind Concord juice, hardier and more disease-resistant than a European vine.
Galangal
Alpinia galanga
How to grow galangal, Alpinia galanga. The hard peppery rhizome of Thai curry paste, why it is not a substitute for ginger, and starting it from a supermarket root.
Garlic
Allium sativum
How to grow garlic, Allium sativum. Why it must go in before Christmas, hardneck against softneck, scapes, rust, and why garlic is dangerous to dogs and cats.
Goji berry
Lycium barbarum
How to grow goji berry, Lycium barbarum. A hardy sprawling shrub that fruits in its third year, needs no coddling, and takes some training to keep tidy.
Gold kiwi
Actinidia chinensis
How to grow gold kiwi, Actinidia chinensis. Smooth-skinned and yellow-fleshed, earlier than the furry kind, and a degree or two more tender.
Groundnut
Arachis hypogaea
How to grow peanuts, Arachis hypogaea. The flower that buries its own fruit, why a peanut is not a nut, and the mould that makes storage the risky part.
Hardy kiwi
Actinidia arguta
How to grow hardy kiwi, Actinidia arguta. Grape-sized fruit eaten skin and all, hardy to -25 deg C, and far easier in a cool climate than the furry kind.
Horseradish
Armoracia rusticana
How to grow horseradish, Armoracia rusticana. Why it must be contained, growing it in a bin or a tube, lifting in autumn, and the heat that only appears when you grate it.
Indian Gooseberry
Phyllanthus emblica
How to grow Indian gooseberry, Phyllanthus emblica. The intensely sour amla behind chyawanprash and triphala, the leaves that look like a fern and are not, and the cold it will take.
Japanese quince
Chaenomeles speciosa
How to grow Japanese quince, Chaenomeles speciosa. Flowers on bare wood in February, hard aromatic fruit in autumn, and the wall training that suits it.
Jujube
Ziziphus jujuba
How to grow jujube, Ziziphus jujuba. A thorny tree that fruits like a small apple and dries like a date, needing more summer heat than most cool temperate gardens give.
Key lime
Citrus aurantiifolia
How to grow key lime, Citrus aurantiifolia. The most tender citrus of the group, thorny and small-fruited, and one that needs real winter warmth.
Kiwi fruit
Actinidia deliciosa
How to grow kiwi fruit, Actinidia deliciosa. A vine that needs a male and a female, serious support, and the warmest wall you can offer it.
Lemon
Citrus limon
How to grow Citrus limon outside the subtropics. The cold bright winter it needs instead of a warm room, why the leaves drop in October, the two different feeds, and which variety to buy.
Lesser Galangal
Alpinia officinarum
How to grow lesser galangal, Alpinia officinarum. The smaller, hotter galangal of Chinese cooking, how it differs from the greater, and growing the rhizome under glass.
Lingonberry
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
How to grow lingonberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea. An evergreen dwarf shrub that crops twice a year, spreads by runners, and needs acid soil and nothing else.
Liquorice
Glycyrrhiza glabra
How to grow liquorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra. The three years before you can lift the root, containing its wandering runners, and the Pontefract trade.
Muscadine
Vitis rotundifolia
How to grow muscadine, Vitis rotundifolia. The thick-skinned grape of the American South, which needs more summer heat than a cool climate can offer outdoors.
Niger Seed
Guizotia abyssinica
How to grow niger seed, Guizotia abyssinica. The Ethiopian oilseed in every goldfinch feeder, a daisy that flowers into October, and the reason your birdseed never sprouts.
Passion fruit
Passiflora edulis
How to grow passion fruit, Passiflora edulis. A tender vine for a greenhouse or conservatory, and why the hardy blue passionflower is not a substitute.
Pear
Pyrus communis
How to grow pears, Pyrus communis. Quince rootstocks, why pears flower earlier than apples and lose more to frost, picking before they are ripe, and pear rust.
Persimmon
Diospyros kaki
How to grow persimmon, Diospyros kaki. Astringent and non-astringent types, why one must be jelly-soft before you eat it, and orange fruit hanging on bare branches.
Pistachio
Pistacia vera
How to grow pistachio, Pistacia vera. Why you need two trees, the split shell that means the nut is ready, and the summer heat a cool climate cannot supply.
Pomegranate
Punica granatum
How to grow pomegranate, Punica granatum. Brilliant orange-red flowers, a long hot summer needed for fruit, and a plant most cool temperate gardens grow for looks.
Quince
Cydonia oblonga
How to grow quince, Cydonia oblonga. Why the fruit will not ripen enough to eat raw in a cool summer, leaving it on the tree until November, and quince leaf blight.
Saffron Crocus
Crocus sativus
How to grow the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus. Planting the corms in summer, picking the three red stigmas at dawn, and why the spice costs what it does.
Sea buckthorn
Hippophae rhamnoides
How to grow sea buckthorn, Hippophae rhamnoides. Male and female plants, ferociously acidic orange berries, and the thorns that make picking a considered job.
Spelt
Triticum spelta
How to grow spelt, Triticum spelta. The hulled wheat that keeps its jacket on, why it needs a mill before it needs an oven, and the health claim that is not true.
Starfruit
Averrhoa carambola
How to grow starfruit, Averrhoa carambola. The fruit that slices into stars, sweet and sour cultivars, and the reason anyone with kidney disease must never eat one.
Triticale
x Triticosecale rimpaui
How to grow triticale, x Triticosecale rimpaui. Sowing, harvesting, its wheat-rye parentage and the history of the modern cereal.
Tuberous Pea
Lathyrus tuberosus
How to grow the tuberous pea, Lathyrus tuberosus. A hardy European perennial with chestnut-flavoured tubers, scented crimson flowers, and a habit of running where it is not wanted.
Turkish hazel
Corylus colurna
How to grow Turkish hazel, Corylus colurna. A single-trunked hazel that makes a proper tree, never suckers, and tolerates drought and city air.
Turmeric
Curcuma longa
How to grow turmeric, Curcuma longa. Starting it from a supermarket rhizome, growing it in a pot under glass, and harvesting and curing your own.
Walnut
Juglans regia
How to grow walnut, Juglans regia. Picking green for pickling in June, the juglone that kills what grows beneath it, and buying a grafted tree.
White Turmeric
Curcuma zedoaria
How to grow zedoary, Curcuma zedoaria. The bitter white turmeric of Indonesian and Thai cooking, its purple-veined leaves, and growing the rhizome under glass.
Wild cranberry
Vaccinium oxycoccos
How to grow wild cranberry, Vaccinium oxycoccos. The bog cranberry of the northern hemisphere, smaller in every part than the American one, and needing conditions few gardens have.
Wild service tree
Sorbus torminalis
How to grow wild service tree, Sorbus torminalis. A scarce British native, an ancient woodland indicator, and fruit that has to rot before you can eat it.
Wild strawberry
Fragaria vesca
How to grow wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca. Tiny fruit with more flavour than any garden variety, cropping from June to the first frost, and easy from seed.
Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
How to grow wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens. A creeping evergreen for acid shade, with red berries all winter and leaves that smell of liniment.
Indoors
Boston Fern
Nephrolepis exaltata
How to grow a Boston fern, Nephrolepis exaltata. The humidity it demands, why fronds shed in winter, propagating from runners, and the Victorian craze that made it famous.
Crown of thorns
Euphorbia milii
How to grow crown of thorns, Euphorbia milii. The caustic milky sap, flowering almost all year in good light, and the spines that make it a poor choice near children.
Dumb cane
Dieffenbachia seguine
How to care for Dieffenbachia seguine. Handling it safely, keeping it from going leggy, air-layering a bare stem, and where the name comes from.
Mexican Snowball
Echeveria elegans
How to grow Echeveria elegans. Keeping the rosette tight, why you must not touch the leaves, watering without rotting the centre, and beheading a stretched plant.
Prayer Plant
Maranta leuconeura
How to care for Maranta leuconeura. Why the leaves fold up at night, what causes the crispy edges everyone gets, and one of the few striking houseplants that is safe with cats.