Month-by-Month in North Florida: What to Plant in October

Shasta Daisies

October in North Florida is the time when summer plantings are finished, and it's time to plant your winter crops, and some perennials and bulbs for spring blooms. It's also the last chance to plant strawberries, although you can still plant
quite a few herbs. It's the best month to plant fruit trees and shrubs, so if you have been thinking of one, plant it now.

Vegetables to Plant in October

This is the month to plant all those leafy greens you are always hearing your should eat more of, as well as root crops like carrots, onions and turnips. You can still plant strawberries until mid-month, so if you don't have yours in yet, do it now.

* last month to plant these crops
** Only plant until the 15th

Arugula	Beets	Broccoli	Brussels Sprouts	Cabbage
Carrots	Cauliflower	Celery	Chinese Cabbage	Collards
Endive/ Escarole	Kale	Kohlrabi	Lettuce*	Mustard
Onions, bunching	Onions, bulbing	Radish	Spinach	Strawberry**
Swiss Chard	Turnips

Ornamentals to Plant in October

With cooler weather coming up fast, annuals will start to fade, but if losing a few doesn't matter to you, plant whatever you find in your local garden center. A few hardier oranmentals you can add to your garden this month are

Foxglove

Petunia

Shasta Daisy

Bulbs to Plant in October

All the gingers can be planted this month, ornamental and edible.

There are a few varieties of Daffodil that do well in North Florida, but a warning: they may not bloom consistently in the lower sections of 9a. But if you are in 8b or upper 9a, here are a few you can try.

'Carlton'

'Fortune'

'Silver Chimes'

'Thalia'

'Sweetness'

Plant Thyme Now for Beautiful Spring Blooms

Herbs to Plant in October

October is a wonderful time to plant herbs. Some of the more tender herbs may need to be planted in containers to bring in during cold spells, but most can be planted right in your herb garden.

Anise	Basil	Borage	Chervil	Coriander
Dill	Fennel	Garlic	Ginger	Lovage
Oregano	Parsley	Rosemary	Sage	Thyme

October is a lovely, cool month to work in your North Florida garden. Don't forget to gather the falling leaves for your compost pile or to use as mulch! If you have any questions about gardening here in Gainesville or the surrounding area, post them in the comments. If you like these posts and want to see more, you can subscribe in the sidebar by email or through a feed reader.

Happy Gardening!