What to plant in October in the UK

Worked out for 40 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in October in the UK, by zone: frost-free, highs of 10–16 °C (London, Manchester and 38 more): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 8 more.

In the UK, October is autumn.

Frost-free, highs of 10–16 °C: London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and 36 more

In October, on average, these cities have highs of 12 to 16 °C and lows of 6 to 13 °C, 71 to 187 mm of rain on 11 to 18 days; the day lasts 10 h 26 min to 10 h 49 min (on the 15th).

No frost in October in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	London, Manchester, Edinburgh and 33 more
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, radish, cabbage, broccoli, arugula, turnip	all
plant sets	Onion	all
sow direct	Lettuce	London, Manchester, Edinburgh and 29 more
sow direct	Carrot, kale, parsnip	Brighton and Plymouth
sow direct	Swiss Chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, chamomile, daikon, dill, mustard greens	London, Bristol, Cardiff and 14 more
sow direct	Kohlrabi	London, Manchester, Edinburgh and 32 more
plant sets	Shallot	Brighton and Plymouth
plant bulbs	Crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip	London, Manchester, Edinburgh and 33 more

Compared with September: new — garlic, crocus, daffodil, hyacinth and tulip; no longer sown — cauliflower.

Not starting in October: tomato (March, started indoors), bell pepper (no month outdoors by these rules), zucchini (April, started indoors) and green beans (May, sown direct) — dates for Liverpool.

Ready to harvest in October in Liverpool, if sown in the right month: broad bean (July), peas (August), spinach (August), lettuce (August), radish (September), carrot (August), cabbage (June) and broccoli (July).

How we work it out

For each city we use its average weather in October and the months after (highs, lows and rain for 2016–2025, ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo) and its average frost dates. A crop starts in October if the month's mean temperature reaches the minimum soil temperature for germination on its card (we use the mean air temperature as a stand-in for the soil's) and if, over its first months (up to three), the average highs stay within its group's range, with no frost for crops that cannot take it. Crops started indoors count from the month they are planted out.

Temperature groups from Colorado State University Extension: cool-season crops prefer 16–27 °C and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 4 °C, semi-hardy ones from 4–10 °C (we use 10 °C); warm-season crops need days above 13 °C, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, aubergine, melon, watermelon, squash) above 16 °C, up to 35 °C. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Broad beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in autumn and overwinter (RHS). Garlic and bulbs: a month before the first frost, and later only while the ground is not frozen (as on each city's page). French beans, courgettes and outdoor tomatoes follow the RHS instead, in months without frost: French beans and courgettes sown outdoors in late May or early June, courgettes also started indoors in April or May; tomatoes started indoors from late March to early April and planted out in June where its average highs reach 16 °C.

This is a general rule from averages: your garden can be a week or two earlier or later, and a greenhouse or a cold frame brings the season forward. Greenly works out the dates for your location.

What to plant in October in the UK

Frost-free, highs of 10–16 °C: London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and 36 more

How we work it out

Other months in the UK