5 Veggies You Can Still Plant In October - Cold or Not

I've been gardening in my backyard for over 14 years, and the first few years, I stopped gardening every September. But after growing in 3 different climates, I finally realized that there's actually something to plant in October no matter where you live. So in this video, I'm going to give you 5 things that you should put into your garden in the month of October no matter where you're growing, and at the very end of the video, I'll share with you something that all of us should plant this month no matter where we live. Before we get into the list of what to plant, we gotta figure out where you're growing, so I'm going to tell you how you can Figure out if you're a 1, a 2, or a 3, and then once you know your number, tell it to us in the comments so we know who we're growing with. So you are a 1 if you never have frost, like you live the entire year without ever having the temperatures drop below 32 degrees, or your first frost date doesn't happen until December or early January. That makes you a 1. You are a 2 if your first frost date doesn't happen until October or November, so your temps aren't going below freezing until those months. That makes you a 2. And you're a 3 if your first frost date is going to happen in August or September. Basically, by the time you watch this video, you've already had your first frost date. That makes you a 3. So tell us below which number you are. Now let's get into our planting list for each and every number. If you are a 1, then you're in this funny place right now where it could still be really hot, but you know that eventually colder temperatures are coming. So these are some plants that can kind of help you make that bridge where they can hang on when the temperatures are warmer and they will thrive as the temperatures drop. So first is mizuna. This is a mustard leafy green. It is very similar to arugula but a little bit tangier, a little bit peppery, and this is a great green you can plant by seed right into the soil right now, and you will have homegrown greens within 45 or 50 days. Now, with care, you can grow these 2 root crops. These are going to be planted by seed directly in the soil. I do recommend you put these underneath the shade of some of your taller plants because if you're in the high 80s, high 90s, these seeds will easily dry out and the seedlings will suffer. So plant these underneath tall plants, put them in by seed, and don't forget to water them, and you're going to have some delicious root crops probably in time for the holidays in late November and early December, which is pretty magical. Next up, I do want to recommend a green that will get you all the way through the winter. This is kale. Kale is a green that doesn't mind frost, so if you're going to get frost in December or January, it can hang on, and kale is a biennial. That means that it doesn't want to go to seed for at least 2 years. So this plant is literally set up in its DNA to last forever in your garden. So you can start this from seed now, especially where you live, put it by seed in the ground, or you can get some plants, and you will never— literally, you'll never have to buy kale again. It's the best thing. Now for some fruiting things in your garden, bush beans are a quick win. You're going to get beans to harvest within 60 days from planting by seed. I love using these in any blank space, especially in a warm season garden. This will keep your soil from drying out. It'll also bring nitrogen back to your soil as It grows, and you'll get tons of beans that you can put into almost any stir-fry or dish. It's so good. And then if you want to add some flowers to the edges of your bed, you are later on this year— in another video, I'll cover it— you're going to be able to add some cool season flowers, but marigolds are a great one that can kind of COVID you from now until that time comes. They grow great from seed. You can also start from plants. Marigolds are so helpful with pest protection, and I love the smell. They're also beautiful, so a perfect thing to put around your beds as you've got it Absolutely packed with these greens, these root crops, and these bush beans. This would make a lovely combination, all of these plants all together in one bed. In fact, if you've never tried a Gardenary planting plan, I'll link those up right below this video because they will absolutely help you fit all these things together in your October garden. Now let's move on to number 2. If you're a number 2, then October is a time when you're so thankful for cooler weather, but you feel like you maybe have lost your chance to get things planted before it really gets cold. But here are some things that you can get into the garden And you should get a harvest from them before it gets too cold, or you can cover them up with frost cloth or even with a little glass house and make the most of your seeds. So first up, a quick win is spring mixed lettuce. This is the plant that taught me how to garden. You throw the seed in the soil, and you get a big box of spring mixed lettuce as a harvest. It is incredible. You'll never want to buy grocery store lettuce again. The flavors are so good, and you'll get a harvest within 45 or 50 days. Now I know these were in— 45 days. The section for number ones, but you also get to do carrots and beets too. These, you're not going to have to babysit nearly as much if you put these into the ground right now. Depending on how fast things get cold for you, you may actually put seeds in the ground, and they might just kind of overwinter and then come up in February or March. Or if you have a milder fall, if you don't really go cold until December, you can get beets into late November. Like, this is a perfect thing for holiday meals, pulling up some fresh carrots for carrot soufflé and some fresh beets to make, you know, Roasted beet salad, something like that. So putting these in the ground, you can plan on about 60 to 75 days from harvest, as long as they've got plenty of sunshine and the soil doesn't get too cold. Also, if you have a few first frosts while these are growing, no harm, no foul. It's actually going to make them a little bit sweeter, so it's a good thing. Next up is cabbage. You're too late to grow this from seed. We could absolutely take a plant and put it into the garden. Cabbages, the big heading cabbages, those are going to take 100, 120 days, but these Napa cabbage heads, this Chinese cabbage, this is more like 90 to 100, and so if you fast forward, you could get this by December. Again, frost tolerant, so these can hang on, and especially if you cover them with plastic or some frost cloth or even a little glass house, then you could have cabbage all the way to New Year's Day, which is when we're supposed to have cabbage and peas, right, for good luck? I think that's a thing. Speaking of peas, this is also a great time to put some sugar snap peas underneath your trellis. These are going to take about 60 to 65 days before they harvest, and these are also a great thing to put on the holiday table. I love these as a little appetizer or a a side dish, and all the little pea tendrils are also so delicious. You can stir-fry them up or use them as a garnish. So put them in the ground now. You'll have about 60 to 65 days until harvest. And last but not least, for a little pest control and some beauty, is calendula. Calendula grows so quickly from seed. It is prolific, and it is a trap crop, meaning pests are attracted to this and not attracted to all of the other things you're planting in your garden right now. So you want to put your seeds right on the edge of your bed. It'll grow over the edge. You'll have All these gorgeous flowers, which you can put in salads and tinctures and teas and use it as little garnishes on holiday tables. You can even make gifts with them, but they're also all the while as they're being beautiful and also wonderful in the kitchen, they're preventing pests from eating all these other plants. So this is a must-do combination, okay? So speaking of planting plans again, you can put all these things together in just one bed. Peas on the trellis, cabbages down the middle, then your root crops like beets and carrots, and then on the edges you've got your spring mix and your calendula. And you've got a gorgeous fall garden right in your own area. Speaking of gardens, if you don't have a garden set up yet, or you have a garden set up but it's not this cute, then you might want to check out the Gardenary shop. Everything you see here in my mom's garden, from these L-shaped beds to the middle bed, the diamond panel trellises, the Nicole Arch, they are all inside the Gardenary shop, and we'll put a link to all these things and a couple ways that you can get these to your doorstep right below this video. If you're number 3, I know October can be a tough month because you're like, no, I don't want to go outside anymore. So here are a few things that you can put in the garden to get a harvest by the middle of November. As I gardened in Chicago, I would put some things in October. In fact, I have video of doing this right before my daughter's homecoming, and I was literally frantically scattering these seeds, and I did get harvest under frost cloth before Thanksgiving. So first is arugula. This is such a fast green. It doesn't mind cold weather. It can handle a little bit of light frost, and you will still feel like you're gardening. You'll still feel like it's kind of the magic of summer, even when when it gets really cold. So sprinkle some seeds like this all around your garden. You won't be sad about it. Next up is spinach. This is gonna be slower to grow from seed, but it holds on longer than the arugula does, and this is such a delight in late October into November to be able to go out and cut a little bit of your own spinach salad. This can last through cold. My mom actually here in Nashville, we had serious ice storms in February of this past year. She had spinach all in this bed. It sat under ice for days, and then it all recovered. So spinach is an incredible green that can hang on through really, really cold temps. Radishes are something that will give you a very fast harvest before it gets super cold. If you put it in the ground right as you watch this video, you will get a harvest into the beginning of November, so it's just a quick win. It's not gonna last in the garden when it's really cold. It's just one like last little yumminess from the garden, and I love French breakfast radishes right out of the garden. Wash 'em off, put some butter and salt on 'em, eat 'em raw. They're so good. Okay, 2 new ideas for you for October. If you are too late to put things into the garden, if it's gotten too cold, is to grow kale and Swiss chard as sprouts or microgreens. So these are 2 greens that do really well under lights or in a sprouter. You probably have a lot of seeds left over if you're like me. You know, you buy these seeds and you get hundreds, and who needs hundreds of kale or Swiss chard plants? Not me, because each plant is so prolific. So take the seeds that you have left over from this past year and put them in a little sprouting container. You can grow some fresh sprouts or put them on Microgreens tray and you can grow microgreens. I talk about this in my book Leaves, Roots, and Fruit. If you don't have it, I'll link it below, but it's a very easy way to get fresh garden-to-table feeling even when it's cold outside, so I wanted to put that in as well. Now there is one thing that all of us should plant in October, if not by the beginning of November. It's a root crop. It grows underground. It takes 5, 6, 7 months, maybe even 9 months to grow to its fullness, and that's why we all put it in the ground right now. You probably need to wait until It gets kind of cold, otherwise you'll have critters digging it up, but it is this little magical thing, which is garlic. So when I was in Houston growing in a very warm climate, we would push it and maybe plant at the very end of October, early November. Here in Nashville, definitely an October crop, and then in Chicago where it was colder, that would be a number 3, we would put it in right around the first frost. That was when there was less of a chance that a squirrel would dig them up. But what you're going to do is take this huge bulb of garlic and you break it into cloves, and you plant each clove by itself. You'll have the root going down, the tip going up, and the coolest thing happens within 6 to 9 months. That one clove then will grow an entire new bulb around it. I mean, nature is just so incredibly magical. It's wild. You take a piece off, and then it regrows the whole thing. What else does that? Nothing. So everyone needs to at least grow garlic this month, if nothing else. If you don't do anything else in your garden, you better promise me, promise me in the comments below, You're gonna plant some garlic cloves, okay? I do have a garlic guide for free if you're like confused. How does this happen? How is this magic possible? Check out the guide. It's free right below this video. Now, there is nothing better than growing from seed in your garden, and I have loved using this tool to start growing more of my own plants so I can save money at the plant store. I can have better quality plants to move into my garden because not everything can go straight from seed directly into the soil. I made a whole video showing you how I use this thing and create really healthy, plants, and you can watch that whole video right here.