Varieties to grow in October

The soil is still warm enough for roots to get to work, but the air is cool and the rain comes on its own. Those are exactly the conditions that flower bulbs and autumn-sown flowers want, and what you plant and sow now largely looks after itself through the winter. Above all it is the month of bulbs. Tulips, daffodils and other flower bulbs need to go into the ground before it freezes, and in most of the country October is the best time for it. At the same time, hardy annuals such as cornflower, poppy, calendula and love-in-a-mist are ideal for autumn sowing. The seeds sit out the cold over winter, germinate early in spring and give stronger plants and earlier flowering than if you sow them in March. This is also when perennial roots such as peonies go in. They get the whole winter to root and start away as soon as the warmth returns. In the kitchen garden there is still time to sow winter-hardy spinach for an early harvest next spring, and under fleece or in a cold frame it comes through the cold well. Here you will find the bulbs, tubers, roots and seeds suited to growing in October, gathered so you can easily see what should go into the ground this month.