The harvest moon of 2025 is almost upon us, so why not celebrate with the best vegetables to plant in October? Oh sure, most vegetable gardening basics will tell you that the growing season is almost over, but the fall is actually the perfect time to keep your beds productive and set yourself up for a glut of veg in the months to come.
Of course, what you can grow depends heavily on your local climate. The USDA Hardiness Zones (a map dividing our beautiful country into regions based on average minimal winter temperatures) is your best guide. If you’re based somewhere warmer, you’ll likely find you can keep on planting throughout the fall and winter months; those in colder climes, however, need to be strategic.
There’s an easy trick to help with this: pick crops that are suited to shorter days and chillier evenings. Whether that’s leafy greens that love the cold, root vegetables that bulk up underground, overwinter crops that reward patient planters come springtime, or even hardy herbs that pack a serious punch, there’s plenty of options for anyone who wants to keep their hands firmly in the soil this October…
1. Garlic
Garlic is a great vegetable to plant in October across zones 3-9, not least of all because it’s one of the easiest things to grow in a kitchen garden. In fact, you can do it using store-bought cloves, although you can buy a 5 Pack of Fresh Purple Garlic Bulb from Amazon if you don’t have any spare vampire-repellers lying around at home.
2. Lettuce
Lettuce might not sound like a vegetable to plant in October, but it can be grown outdoors throughout the winter in warmer areas (we see you, Florida). In fact, it often works better as a cool-season crop, as long daylight hours and hot temperatures can cause lettuce to bolt. Something like Amazon’s Winter Density Lettuce Seeds is fully hardy and suitable for USDA zones 3-10, and will start producing tasty heads from March onwards if you set to work quickly.
3. Herbs
From parsley to cilantro, starting an herb garden is a great way to ensure your life is full of fragrance and flavor in the months to come. Get yourself started as you mean to go on with Amazon’s 5 Heirloom Herb Garden Kit; you can always coddle them in pots on a sunny windowsill if you’re worried about their ability to withstand cooler temperatures. Most, however, should be able to cope in zones 5-10, making them ideal vegetables to plant in October.
4. Broccoli
An underrated superfood, broccoli grows as an annual in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 11. You’re too late to sow them as seeds, but if you pick up something like these Broccoli Plug Plants from Walmart you can plant them in the fall and tend to them lovingly over the winter. Just make sure you use well-draining soil; they hate to get their feet wet!
5. Kale
Broccoli isn’t the only brassica that works as a vegetable to plant in October; kale, with all of its leafy loveliness, is also here to work its vitamin A-enriched magic on your well-draining veg plot. Plants only take around two months to mature, so try something like these Dinosaur Kale Plants from Amazon if you fancy picking and harvesting yours all season long.
6. Cabbage
Another brassica, another luscious vegetable to plant in October; just be sure to get your cabbage in the ground some six to eight weeks before the first frost is expected. The Durham Early variety is one of the hardiest early season crops, but there’s a whole host of cabbage seeds and plants on Walmart to choose from.
7. Snow Peas
Snow peas are cool season vegetables that are quite frost hardy, but don’t worry; they require no more work than growing other varieties of peas, making them one of our favourite low-maintenance vegetables to plant in October (particularly if you’re based in USDA zones 8 and 9).
Just make sure you get them in the ground about 6 to 8 weeks before your area's first fall frost to allow the roots to establish before a hard freeze – and mulch well, too. We’re fans of the Avalanche Snow Pea (Pisum sativum) Seeds from Walmart.
8. Black Radishes
Black radishes (Raphanus sativus niger) are a great vegetable to grow in October, not to mention a brilliant way to expand your radish horizons! Why? Well, because this resilient variety thrives in cool seasons across USDA Zones 3-9, even if it prefers well-draining soil and full sun.
Always check you have enough time for them to mature before temperatures become too warm or your soil freezes over. A pack of Amazon’s Seed Needs Radish Seeds for Planting Black Spanish Radishes should do the trick nicely.
9. Beets
Of course, beets are on our list of vegetables to plant in October; these tasty red crops can be grown all winter long in many southern states, in fact (although you’ll need a soil temperature of at least 40°F in the north).
Most will be ready for harvesting after seven to eight weeks, although beet greens can be picked earlier. And, if you want to up the ante, try something like Walmart’s Organo Republic 10 Rare Beet Seeds Variety Pack; it should make for a truly spectacular display!
10. Shallots
One of the easiest vegetables to plant in October, shallots (Allium cepa ascalonicum) are very similar to garlic in lots of ways; all you need to do is sow Amazon’s Holland Red Shallots Bulbs in loose, well-drained soil that's been amended with organic matter, and wait until June or July for the fruit of your labors to be ready.
While carrots could also work as a vegetable to plant in October, they tend to perform better in the springtime. The easiest wins for this time of year, regardless of location, are garlic and herbs – so get sowing and revel in the knowledge that you’ll have a bumper crop of natural flavor enhancers over the winter.
Good luck!
