In the Garden This Month
What to plant now
October is the sweet spot for the Zone 8a fall garden. The soil is still warm but the air has finally cooled, which is exactly what cool-season crops want. There’s still time to tuck in transplants of kale, collards, cabbage, broccoli, and Swiss chard, and to direct-sow quick growers like spinach, lettuce, radishes, turnips, mustard, and carrots. This is also the month to plant garlic and shallots and to scatter a cover crop of crimson clover or cereal rye over any bed you’re putting to rest.
What to do now
Pull the spent summer plants — tomatoes, peppers, squash, and beans — and get that debris out of the garden to deny pests and disease a place to overwinter. Mulch your fall transplants, keep an eye on the first-frost forecast, and have row cover or old sheets ready to throw over tender greens on a cold night.
What to harvest
Keep picking the last of the warm-season crops ahead of frost: green tomatoes to ripen indoors, the final peppers and okra, and any winter squash and sweet potatoes still curing. Early fall greens, radishes, and green onions are coming in now, and a light frost actually sweetens kale, collards, and carrots.
Plan ahead
Not sure of your dates? Our free Grow Zone Planner gives you frost dates and a planting calendar for exactly where you live.
Open the planner →