What to Sow in October
A quieter sowing month, and a more decisive one. The closing window for autumn-sown hardy annuals, sweet peas into deep root trainers, herbs under cover and the overwintering vegetables. What still has time in a Norfolk October, and what has run out.
The cold frame is filling up, and that is the surest sign of October here. The summer beds are going over, the buckets of dahlias grow fewer each week, and the frames and windowsills quietly take over as the place where next year's garden begins. October is a calmer sowing month than September, and a more decisive one. A few things still have time to go in. A few have run out. The whole job is knowing which is which before the ground turns cold.
Most of what follows carries on from last month's big autumn-sowing push, which we set out in full in The Autumn-Sowing Handbook. Think of this as the shorter, sharper sequel: what still has time in a Norfolk October, sorted the way we always sort it, by flowers, then the sweet peas and their kit, then herbs and vegetables. Everything named below is in our range as we write this.
October at a Glance
Flowers
Last of the hardy annuals
Sweet Peas
Sow into root trainers
Herbs
Chervil & coriander, under cover
Vegetables
Broad beans & garlic go in
The Kit
Deep root trainers for sweet peas
Under Cover
A cold frame or a cloche
Flowers: The Closing Window
The autumn-sowing window for hardy annuals is closing, though it has not quite shut. In a Norfolk October, through the first half of the month you can still get a good number in, and a cold frame or a cloche buys you the second half too. Sow now and these plants make small, tough seedlings that sit out the winter and race away in spring, weeks ahead of anything you sow next March.
The ones that still have time are the true hardy annuals: cornflower, larkspur, nigella, calendula and the hardy poppies. The lacy umbellifers ammi and orlaya still have time as well, though this late we would start them in deep modules in the cold frame rather than trust them to cold open ground. All of these carry a long taproot, so sow where they are to flower or into deep modules, and move them on while small.
Biennials: plant out, do not sow
October is too late to sow biennials such as foxgloves, sweet william, wallflowers and honesty. Their sowing window was early to midsummer. What to do now is plant out the young plants you raised back then, into their flowering positions, so they root in and settle before the hard weather. If you missed the sowing this year, note it for next June and read How to Sow & Grow Biennials so you are ready.
Under cover, or direct
Early in the month, and on free-draining soil, direct sowing into a warm, dry spell still works well. Later in the month, or on heavy, wet ground, a cold frame or a cloche over the row is the safer bet. Cover does two things: it keeps the worst of the wet off the seed so it does not rot, and it lifts the temperature just enough to get roots down before winter.
Sweet Peas, and the Right Kit
If there is one sowing in October worth making a small fuss over, it is sweet peas, and this is the month the flower-farm world sows them. An autumn sowing makes a strong, well-rooted plant over winter that flowers earlier, and on far longer stems, than anything sown in spring. If you missed September, you still have good time now.
Sow two seeds to a deep root trainer or a tall pot, because a sweet pea sends down a long root and hates to be checked, so depth matters more than width. Keep them cool and bright over winter in a cold frame or an unheated greenhouse, and safe from mice, which will take the seed given half a chance. On the pinching question: pinch out the growing tip once a plant has three or four pairs of leaves, which for an October sowing usually means late winter or early spring rather than now, so leave them be over the darkest weeks. The full method is in How to Grow Sweet Peas from Seed.
Why root trainers earn their place
This is where a bit of kit genuinely helps, and it is why we have brought in the Haxnicks range. A root trainer is a deep cell with grooves down the inside that train the root to grow straight down instead of circling, and the cells open out like a book so you can lift a seedling and plant it without disturbing the root at all. For sweet peas that is close to ideal, and it suits the long-rooted hardy annuals too, the ammi, orlaya and larkspur from the section above. The Deep Rootrainers are the ones sweet pea growers swear by; the shallower Rapid and smaller Compact versions suit the rest of your autumn modules and a smaller windowsill.
Herbs: A Few Under Cover
The herb year is winding down, and only the cool-season leaves are worth sowing now. Chervil is hardy and happy sown now under a cloche or in a pot in the cold frame for delicate aniseed leaves through the colder months. Coriander also does better in the cool than in summer heat, staying leafy and slow to run to seed, so a sowing under cover now gives you fresh leaf into winter. Parsley is another that suits a cool, covered sowing, though we do not have it in the range this year.
Stop sowing the tender and summer herbs now. Basil wants warmth it will not get again until spring, and a sowing now will only sulk and damp off. Dill is best left as well. Both go back on the list in March.
For a few pots of winter leaf by the back door, a fabric Vigoroot herb planter keeps coriander and chervil within easy reach of the kitchen through the colder months.
Vegetables: Sowing for the Hungry Gap
October vegetables are all about getting ahead of next year. The star is the overwintering broad bean: Broad Bean 'Aquadulce Claudia' is the classic autumn-sown variety, hardy enough to sit out a Norfolk winter and give you a crop weeks before spring-sown beans, with the bonus that early pods often miss the worst of the blackfly. Sow now, direct or in deep pots.
Under cover, there is still plenty on. A last sowing of Pak Choi 'Rubi' in the cold frame gives quick oriental leaves. Radish 'Sparkler' will squeeze in one more fast crop under a cloche. And for green leaves through the darkest months with no garden at all, radish microgreens such as China Rose and Rambo grow on a windowsill in a week or two, on a tray of compost or a hemp growing mat. A pot of any pea sown thickly and cut young gives you pea shoots the same way.
| Crop | October job | In our range |
|---|---|---|
| Broad beans | Sow now to overwinter | Yes, Aquadulce Claudia |
| Oriental leaves | Sow under cover | Yes, Pak Choi 'Rubi' |
| Radish | Last quick sowing under a cloche | Yes, 'Sparkler' |
| Microgreens & pea shoots | Sow on a windowsill | Yes, radish microgreens and any pea |
| Garlic & onion sets | Plant now from bulbs and sets | No, not in our seed range |
| Spring cabbage | Plant out earlier sowings | No |
A word of honesty on the rest. Garlic and autumn onion sets both go in this month, and spring cabbage raised earlier should be planted out now, but none of those are things we stock, and we would rather point you to a good supplier than sell you the wrong packet. We also do not list a dedicated winter lettuce this year, so for salad under cover a hardy cos like Little Gem sown early in the month is your best bet from our shelves.
Too Late For
Biennials such as foxgloves, sweet william and wallflowers: their window closed in midsummer, so note them for next June. Half-hardy annuals such as cosmos and zinnias: these are killed by frost and wait for a warm spring sowing. And the tender herbs, basil above all, which will not thank you for a sowing until the light and warmth return.
An Honest Word on a Cold Snap
October in Norfolk can turn sharply. A mild fortnight can end in a hard, early frost with little warning, and a frost close behind an outdoor sowing can undo the whole row before it has rooted at all. If the forecast turns cold soon after you have sown, get a cloche or a frame over it, or hold off a week and sow into modules under cover instead. We have lost October rows to a surprise freeze more than once, and a sheet of cover is cheap insurance against it.
Beyond Sowing: This Month's Jobs
Sowing is only half of October. Now is the moment to gather fallen leaves into a bin or a bag for leaf mould, which is the best free soil improver a garden makes. Walk round your stakes and supports before the autumn gales arrive and firm up anything holding a tall plant, because a windy night will find every weak one. And tidy selectively rather than cutting everything to the ground: the seed heads and hollow stems standing in the borders now are food and shelter for wildlife through winter, and they hold the frost beautifully on a cold morning. We will make the full case for leaving them in a piece on seed heads later this month.
To Do This Week
Sow your sweet peas into root trainers and tuck them into the cold frame. Get a row of broad beans in. Move the last of the hardy annuals under cover before the ground cools further. And if you have not got the kit, a set of deep root trainers bought now will pay you back all through the sweet pea spring.
What to Sow in October: Common Questions
Can I still sow hardy annuals in October?
Yes, through the first half of the month, and later under cover. Cornflowers, larkspur, nigella, calendula and hardy poppies all still have time, sown direct in a mild spell or into deep modules in a cold frame.
When should I sow sweet peas, and do I pinch them out now?
October is ideal, sown into deep root trainers and kept cool and bright over winter. Pinch out the tips once a plant has three or four pairs of leaves, which for an autumn sowing usually means late winter or early spring rather than now.
Do I need root trainers to sow sweet peas?
They are optional, though they do help. Sweet peas make a long root that hates disturbance, and a deep root trainer grows a strong, straight root and opens like a book so you plant out without checking it. A tall, deep pot does a similar job.
What vegetables can I sow in October?
Overwintering broad beans outdoors, plus oriental leaves, radish and pea shoots under cover, and radish microgreens on a windowsill. Garlic and onion sets are also planted now, though from bulbs and sets rather than seed.
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