October in the Planty Garden
The days are getting shorter. We're in for some nice fall weather, daily harvests, and just enjoying time in the garden. Sow now for extra-early spring harvests. You can even start your Planty Garden in the fall 😀
Go to: Starting out | Already growing | What to sow now
Go to: Starting out | Already growing | What to sow now
Already got a Planty Garden?
If you're growing already, you'll enjoy plenty of vegetables this month. Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, beans, and pumpkins of course.
Leafy vegetables won't grow as fast now, but you can keep harvesting from them. And those empty vegetable patches? Sow them again right away with plants that don't mind the cold.
Now's a great time to plant garlic cloves and winter onion.
Leafy vegetables won't grow as fast now, but you can keep harvesting from them. And those empty vegetable patches? Sow them again right away with plants that don't mind the cold.
Now's a great time to plant garlic cloves and winter onion.
Tips for October*
1. Water regularly: ideally every day when the weather is sunny and dry. Check the soil mix just under the surface to see if it's moist.
2. Harvest on time and a lot. You're not just doing it for a delicious dinner, it also extends your harvest. When you pick its leaves or flowers, the plant makes more.
2. Harvest on time and a lot. You're not just doing it for a delicious dinner, it also extends your harvest. When you pick its leaves or flowers, the plant makes more.
3. Harvest all your older leafy vegetables so those patches are empty again. Sow plants that can handle colder weather to harvest early in spring. It's the perfect time for garlic and winter onions.
4. When the weather is damp, keep up the snail hunt: they'll be out in full force. And watch out for butterflies. Cabbage whites like to lay their eggs on plants from the cabbage family, especially dino kale.
5. Keep an eye on your tall plants and give them support if they need it. Tie your climbing zucchini to the trellis regularly. The same goes for your sunflowers.
6. Harvest the last tomatoes. If some are still green, place them on a sunny windowsill so they ripen. And keep an eye on your plants for tomato blight and mildew.
* In short: follow the advice in the Planty Gardening app. It covers all these tips 😉
4. When the weather is damp, keep up the snail hunt: they'll be out in full force. And watch out for butterflies. Cabbage whites like to lay their eggs on plants from the cabbage family, especially dino kale.
5. Keep an eye on your tall plants and give them support if they need it. Tie your climbing zucchini to the trellis regularly. The same goes for your sunflowers.
6. Harvest the last tomatoes. If some are still green, place them on a sunny windowsill so they ripen. And keep an eye on your plants for tomato blight and mildew.
* In short: follow the advice in the Planty Gardening app. It covers all these tips 😉
What can you still sow now?
A lot of people think that you can't sow much this time of year, but you can in a Planty Garden. Sow now for your winter crops and for an early spring harvest.
You can sow any of these:
You can sow any of these:
- dino kale
- radish
- spinach
- winter pea (for the shoots)
- winter purslane
- winter lettuce
- yellow winter onions (bulbs)
- red winter onions (bulb)
- garlic
And with extra protection from a crop cover - like the MM-Muts - you can sow these too:
- endive
- turnip
- Asian salad mix (for mizuna and mustard seed)
- arugola
- lamb's lettuce
Want more?
That was October in a nutshell. But I've written a lot more. So, here's a few extra items if you want to keep reading:
