“Remember – always sow the seeds. You can catch up on everything else – but if you get behind on that, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Do it NOW…. Every day the light is getting shorter, and growth is slowing.
Outdoors
You can still sow these directly into the ground – covering with cloches later in the month in cold gardens. Or alternatively, and more safely, you could sow into modules of peat-free compost. I always do that at this time of year – modules are generally warmer, germination is much quicker, there’s less chance of seed rotting in cold, wet ground if we get a hard frost before the end of October, and far less chance of pest damage. It’s more economical with expensive seed, avoids possible slug damage or even total destruction! Modules can be grown on and then be planted into the ground when they’re ready if conditions are suitable:
Winter types of lettuce* such as ‘Arctic King’, ‘Winter Gem’, ‘Rougette du Midi’, ‘Winter Density’, ‘Valdor’, ‘Rosetta’ (greenhouse/tunnel type), Jack Ice and Lattughino Rossa. Also Broad Beans ‘Aquadulce Claudia’** or ‘The Sutton’**, round seeded peas like ‘Meteor’, ‘Feltham First’, ‘Pilot’ etc.(protecting from mice!), some varieties of non-hearting leafy cabbage greens such as ‘Greensleeves’, claytonia* (miner’s lettuce), corn salad*, landcress*, spinach*, winter & Oriental radishes, salad onions (scallions), overwintering onions such as ‘Hi-Keeper’ (growing onions from seed avoids possibly introducing onion white rot, which may be brought in on sets).
On well-drained warmer soils in mild areas, it’s still worth chancing a sowing of a fast-growing early carrot variety* such as ‘Early Nantes’ or ‘Amsterdam Forcing’ – particularly in southern areas – covered with cloches these may produce finger-sized roots by Christmas or certainly in very early spring. You can also try oriental salad greens/brassica salad greens* like Broccoli Raab/Rapini/Cima di Rapa, Mizuna, Mustards like ‘Red and Green Frills’, rocket, and fast growing salad mixes* for picking continuously as baby leaves and shoots – all will crop this autumn if the weather is mild. All of these will benefit from being covered with cloches or fleece suspended over hoops later in the month to protect from heavy rain, or potential frost and wind damage.
You can still sow green manures on any empty ground not covered with a crop, these will protect and improve the structure of the soil, adding vital carbon, holding onto nutrients and preventing possible leaching that can occur in heavy rain. Field beans and winter tares (both legumes which will also fix ‘free’ nitrogen from the air). Mustard is another useful, fast-growing green manure but is a member of the brassica family, so make sure it fits into your rotations, and Hungarian winter grazing rye (covering the latter on heavy soils with a light excluding mulch in late winter to kill off the top growth, which makes it much easier to dig in)
In Greenhouses, Polytunnels or in large cold frames
You can also sow all of the above undercover, in a polytunnel or cold frame. They will grow much more quickly in the warmer and more protected environment. You can also sow mangetout pea ‘Oregon Giant’ and sugar peas such as ‘Delikett’ and ‘Delikata’ – directly into tunnel soil if you have space, or in large pots and containers – all for pea shoots now, taking two or three cuts of shoots, then leaving to grow on in spring to produce pods. With a little warmth you can also still sow Italian giant flat leaf parsley which is hardier, more productive, and has far better flavour than the curled varieties.
Sow all seeds into modules thinly to avoid overcrowding, ensure good air circulation and good drainage in order to avoid possible ‘damping off’ diseases in the cooler autumn weather. Lettuce in particular can be very prone to disease now, so either sow individually – or thin carefully to the one strongest seedling without damaging others, as soon as they are big enough to handle. You can also sow directly into containers under cover. Be very careful not to over-water seedlings now, always water modules from underneath by sitting in water just for a few seconds if necessary, until you can feel the compost beginning to absorb it. Watering modules from the top may also possibly encourage disease and damage vulnerable seedlings.
(* Sow early Oct. ** Sow late Oct.)
You can also still plant rooted watercress cuttings
Plant these in rich soil in a damp shady spot in the polytunnel or greenhouse, outside under cloches. Watercress is actually a perennial plant and will crop for a year or longer if fed, watered and picked regularly to prevent flowering. I take fresh cuttings from healthy plants every year in early autumn to provide my winter crops.
I move it out of the polytunnel and plant it elsewhere in a shady spot for summer. My current plants have been producing well for at least 10 years now! Cover with fleece if a hard frost is forecast and keep an eye out for late cabbage white butterfly caterpillars which love it!
Garlic cloves can be sown/planted now both outside and in polytunnels or greenhouses
For a really early crop of big bulbs next year – choose firm, plump and healthy outside cloves from this year’s crop, or buy certified virus-free ones from garden centres – not supermarket-bought bulbs which will most likely be unsuitable for this climate and also could carry serious diseases.
I prefer to plant organic garlic bulbs – and these are available from Fruit Hill Farm in Cork, where they have a wide range of varieties including Morado – a high-allicin, really good-tasting garlic which I love. Be careful to go through packs in garden centres and choose the really plump firm bulbs. Don’t buy any that have sunken patches, feel soft, or squashy, or are mouldy, as these have rotted and may be diseased.
‘Christo’ is weather resistant, reliable, a very good keeper and very hardy both inside and out which can also be spring planted, ‘Thermidrome’ and ‘Marco are ‘autumn planting’ varieties which are both excellent for growing in polytunnels, where they produce huge bulbs if planted now. Morado, and a new one to me – Messidor, are also great varieties. All have excellent flavour and are good keepers. All of these do very well in polytunnels, either in the ground or in tubs – whereas some varieties may prefer outside only.
The very centre cloves from the bulbs, which often do not go on to produce good bulbs later on, can be planted into pots to provide leafy green garlic shoots perfect for early cutting for eating in salads etc. – rather than wasting them.
Saffron bulbs can still be planted
Many bulb companies have good value offers at this time of year, as this is late to be planting them. Bulbs will flower this year and then like many other flower bulbs may take a year off – but if well-fed while still in green leaf after flowering, they may not do this and will flower again as normal next year.
None of these are hard and fast rules
As the weather is so unpredictable now. Climates can vary widely in individual gardens and different parts of the country. You must play it by ear depending on the conditions and you may need to adapt these instructions to take into account your particular garden microclimate with its particular aspect and soil, as well as current weather forecasts. Conditions can deteriorate suddenly at this time of year, and every garden is different – you will know your own local climate best.
None of these it is also well worth saving some of your own seed
Seed from open-pollinated, non-F1 hybrid varieties of most crops is easy to save. This will save a lot of money and may even preserve hard to find or disappearing varieties. Varieties of many crops are disappearing increasingly now with many smaller seed companies being swallowed up by the huge and powerful Agrichemical/Pharmaceutical giants, who have been acquiring smaller seed companies for decades.
Below is a picture of a young plant of ‘McGregor’s Favourite’ beetroot – a variety which I saved from extinction in the late 1980s when Carters were taken over by the global Big Ag multinational owners of Dobies/Suttons/Unwins and it was deleted from their catalogues. It is an extremely valuable, cultivar useful for its high-polyphenol phytonutrient-rich leaves which can be grown all year round. (Beside it is a picture of the last packet of available seed which I luckily kept, with sowing instructions for this ornamental, delicious and very special vegetable.
I know that it was still available from one or two rare seed suppliers in the US about ten years ago – but when I recently searched for this variety, it had disappeared completely from the internet. Some people said they have it (even a well-known seed library!) but it is NOT the correct form with the fleshy, strap-shaped, narrow, willow-like deep beetroot-coloured leaves, with no hint of green, which was grown in Victorian and Edwardian gardens for inclusion in their colourful carpet bedding schemes. Those I saw had thinner, pointed, triangular-shaped, greenish-red leaves, much more like a normal beetroot.
MacGregors Favourite was always started off indoors in heat. It was not sown outside like normal beetroot grown mostly for its roots. I think this is one of the reasons why it disappeared, as uncharacteristically, it prefers heat for germination. The other reason is that all the chard family cross with each other readily, including our native wild sea beet, and their pollen can travel for miles, so it can easily be cross contaminated with another beet variety. I always make sure not to let any other member of beet, chard or sorrel family flower anywhere nearby if I plan to save seed from it that year and am always very careful to select the most typical plants to save seed from.
Recently I’ve seen various red-leaved chards or other beetroot incorrectly labelled as McGregors Favourite on other websites. This is how seed varieties are lost forever. I may well be the only person now growing the REAL McGregors Favourite and am terrified that I may lose this unique variety! I’ve offered it to several small independent seed suppliers who didn’t want to be bothered with it as they said it didn’t germinate well enough outside to sell to amateur gardeners. It is not recommended for sowing outside, as you can see from the instructions on the seed packet! I only differ from those instructions in sowing it all year round, as I use its leaves for salads and stir-fries.
A note on seed composts
I always use an organic, peat-free seed compost for sowing all my seeds. The brand I use is Klasmann, which is available from Fruit Hill Farm in Cork, or from White’s Agri in Lusk, Fruit Hill Farm in Cork, and a few garden centres here in Ireland. It is an excellent, free-draining compost, which promotes healthy seedlings – I have never lost any seedlings to ‘damping-off’ disease since using this compost.
Using peat composts causes the release of large amounts of carbon, which contributes to climate change and destroys much biodiversity – including many plants which bees, insects and other creatures depend upon – thereby causing loss of biodiversity. Destroying peat bogs also leads to increased flooding, as the carbon contained in bogs acts like a giant sponge – absorbing water and then releasing it much more slowly into the environment. Peat composts are not a natural environment for plants as they are also sterile, with no microbial life, and they contain synthetic, fossil fuel-derived chemical nutrients, which also accelerate climate change.
Make a cropping plan and start to make rough drafts of your seed orders as soon as the catalogues arrive or are available online. Go through this year’s remaining seeds to see what will still be good for sowing next year. This avoids duplication, over-buying and prevents potential waste.
Growing tips for October – as well as more information on seed varieties, growing fruit, wildlife gardening etc. can be found under the relevant diary entries for each month as they are added to the diary. I also give seasonal growing and eating tips at the beginning of each month on Gerry Kelly’s Late Lunch Show on LMFM radio – which you can listen to live or find the podcast later and listen to previous ones on the ‘Listen’ button on my home page.