What to sow and grow in october
October has arrived - a slower, softer month when the garden exhales after the rush of summer. Mornings are misty, evenings fall early, and the air carries that earthy, woodsmoke smell. The beds are quieter now, but still full of produce to be harvested. Growth has slowed down, seeds are drying, and the last of the harvest is finding its way to the kitchen.
At Fat Tomato, we’re busy lifting, storing, and sowing - wrapping up one growing season and laying the foundations for the next. Garlic will be planted later this month, overwintering onions are ready to be sown, and the polytunnel is filling with winter salads and hardy greens. The pantry shelves are lined with jars from the season just gone - a snapshot of summer, bottled for colder days ahead.
HERE’S OUR LIST FOR OCTOBER:
Garlic and Onions
It’s time to plant garlic and overwintering onions. Choose firm, healthy cloves and sets, and plant them into well-drained soil or raised beds.
We use our own saved garlic alongside new certified organic bulbs from Fruit Hill Farm to keep diversity strong. They’ll root quietly over winter, ready to burst into life next spring.
Broad Beans
Sow ‘Aquadulce Claudia’ or another hardy variety now. Autumn sowing means earlier crops and stronger plants come spring.
We sow in trays first, to keep the mice from feasting, and plant out once the shoots are up.
Winter Salads
Keep the polytunnel productive with mizuna, rocket, claytonia, and mustards.
These greens love the cooler weather and will give you cut-and-come-again leaves right through winter.
If you’re short on tunnel space, a few trays on a bright windowsill will do the job.
Green Manures
Bare beds are best covered - we sow phacelia, field beans, and crimson clover to protect and feed the soil.
Come spring, they’ll be dug in to add rich organic matter.
If you’ve run out of time to sow, simply mulch with leaves or compost.
Spring Cabbage
Plant young cabbage now and cover with fleece to protect from frost and pigeons.
They’ll establish before winter and reward you with early greens next year.
OTHER JOBS FOR OCTOBER
Harvest apples, pears, and late plums - store the best in a cool, dark place.
Cut and cure pumpkins and squash - we set them on slates in the polytunnel to ripen and dry their skins before storing.
Lift maincrop potatoes before the ground turns wet.
Gather chestnuts, walnuts, and hazelnuts - roast, pickle, or store for winter treats.
Pot up herbs like parsley, thyme, and oregano for the kitchen windowsill.
Rake up fallen leaves to make leaf mould - a slow but perfect compost for the future.
Clear finished crops, spread compost, and mulch the beds - your soil will thank you in spring.
The Honesty Farm Shop is full of autumn flavour this month - pumpkins, apples, squash, garlic, heritage tomatoes, and small-batch preserves from the kitchen.
We’ve also stocked our heritage seed collections for next year’s growers - the perfect time to plan what you’ll sow come spring.
Let us know what you’re harvesting - tag us on Instagram or drop us a line 🍅