What to Plant in October in Zone 8: Greens, Roots, and Brassicas
In USDA zone 8, October is a strong cool-season planting month for greens, roots, and brassicas. Garlic usually waits until cooler November soil.
Published by ThriveThyme
October Zone 8 October zone 8 fall planting cool-season crops
What to Plant in October in Zone 8
In USDA zone 8, October is a main cool-season planting month. Sow leafy greens and roots as heat eases. Set out broccoli, cabbage, kale, and collard transplants when the catalog window and local weather agree. Garlic usually waits until cooler soil in November.
Zone 8 covers different climates, so use your local first-frost date. Check the zone 8 October calendar, first frost guide, and what to plant now.
Sow Now
- Lettuce, spinach, and arugula: direct-sow in cooling soil and keep the seedbed evenly moist. Lettuce, spinach, and arugula.
- Radishes, carrots, beets, and turnips: sow where the cultivar has enough time before severe cold. Radish, carrot, and beet.
- Kale and collards: direct-sow early or set out transplants. Kale and collard greens.
Transplant Now
Broccoli and cabbage transplants can go into prepared beds as heat breaks. Starting them from seed outdoors now may be too slow for the main fall harvest. See broccoli, cabbage, and their fall planting guides.
Wait on Garlic
The usual zone 8 garlic window begins in November. Prepare a well-drained bed now, but wait for cooler soil unless local guidance says otherwise. Garlic timing by zone.
Next Steps
Sow one short row at a time, water until seedlings stand, and keep harvesting warm-season crops until cold ends them. For colder timing, see October zone 7. For warmer timing, see October zone 9.
Flowers: sweet pea, pansy, and snapdragon run to about November 15, and breadseed poppy to about November 30. Hardy flowers such as purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan open October 1. See when to plant sweet peas by zone, when to sow poppy seeds by zone, and flower seeds to sow in fall by zone.
Herbs: before nights linger near 50F, pot basil and other tender herbs for a windowsill winter garden. In cold zones, bring rosemary indoors. Hardiness table: which herbs survive winter by zone. Care: rosemary indoors and basil and tender herbs indoors.
Spring bulbs: daffodils and crocus go in Nov 1 to Nov 29 in zone 8. In zone 8b, refrigerate tulips and hyacinths by about Oct 20 and plant Dec 15 to Jan 5. See the Bulb Desk and how to pre-chill tulip bulbs.
Frost and Freeze Protection
Check kill temperatures on the Frost Harvest Desk. See which vegetables survive a hard freeze, how to use row cover and low tunnels, and what temperature kills tomato and pepper plants.