What to plant in autumn
Choosing what to plant in autumn can be quite a puzzling decision for many. Which plants are likely to thrive during their first winter? Will they face challenges in getting established?
Yet many plant species love the cooler soil and air found in the UK’s typically mild climate, as you’ll discover in our guide to what to plant in the autumn.
| Must know Get ready for winter frosts when planting in the autumn by buying mulch, fleece, cloches, cold frames or a hoop house to protect seeds and plants. In short Some of the plants you can sow in the autumn in the UK include:
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Before you start planting in the autumn
Getting your garden ready for plants in the autumn means you have a few tasks to do in September and October, including:
- Mulching the beds to suppress weeds
- Clearing fallen leaves
- Aerating the grass and sowing grass seed
- Flowerpot cleaning and disinfecting
- Deadheading to encourage new growth
- Pruning shrubs and roses after flowering
- Harvesting any existing crops
- Trimming back herbs
- Bringing potted herbs indoors or to a greenhouse
- Dividing perennials and potting them under cover
- Adding manure and compost to the beds
Doing these activities will enrich the soil, boost plant health, prevent disease and enhance the chances of germination.
You’ll also need to protect some plants from the frost, so it’s helpful to invest in covers like fleece, cloches, cold frames, mulch or a hoop house.
Seeds to plant in autumn
Once you’re set, you can plant seeds for all kinds of flowers and vegetables during a UK autumn, which starts in September and ends in December.1 Consider the following autumn sowing seeds:
Lamb’s lettuce
Sow this hardy, mild salad leaf thinly in rows nicely spaced apart (7cm) with a 5mm covering of soil to set you up for a crop later in the autumn or into next spring. Leafy greens like these are the fastest growers in autumn.
Radishes
Radishes add a dash of pink-red-white colour and pepperiness to any salad. Plant them from seeds drilled 5cm apart, 1cm deep, in the ground or in pots, making them ideal for small gardens and balconies.
Spring onions
Plant your spring onion seeds in the autumn for salads and stir fries into the spring. Like radishes, you can sow them in the ground or pots, and they’re easy to grow.
Cornflowers
Look forward to a pop of colour next year by sowing the lovely pale blue/lilac cornflower in September, along with other hardy annuals like poppies, nigella and calendula. Ensure you improve the soil with compost before sowing.
Vegetables to plant in autumn
These five vegetables are perfect to grow in the autumn, ready for a delicious later crop.
Turnips
Pop in baby turnips in the autumn and thin them out once they start growing, so they get as big as possible. Make sure they don’t dry out if and when the rain stops.
Carrots
You can grow carrots from seeds outdoors in September, as they like cool weather. But make sure this root veg is frost-hardy. Cover them with a cloche or cold frame if you don’t have a greenhouse to protect them.
Kale
Start to plant kale seeds 1cm deep in indoor trays in September or October. When the leaves reach about 10cm in height, harden them off outdoors for a week, then transplant them into well-drained soil with compost. You can also grow them in beds or under a polytunnel to protect them from frost.
Potatoes
Home-grown potatoes taste so much nicer! Choose a second-cropping variety that you can plant in early September, and you’ll be enjoying roasted, mashed or plain spuds about three months later.
Cauliflower
Autumn is the ideal time to plant cauliflower seedlings, as the plant will suffer less from pests. Put them in during the first week of September for a harvest about 12 weeks later. You will need to protect them from frost.
Bulbs to plant in autumn
For a burst of colour in your garden from late winter and into next spring, you need to plant your bulbs in the autumn. Choose from these easily grown favourites.
Crocus bulbs
Whether you scatter your bulbs or prefer neat rows or pots, the crocus adds a delightful pop of yellow, purple or white in any sunny part of the garden. Plant them from September to October in peat-free compost.
Daffodil bulbs
Wordsworth wrote that his ‘heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils’. Plant one of the many varieties in late September, and you’ll be delighting in their joyful yellow trumpets come the spring.
Winter aconites
Another joyous yellow flower is the winter aconite, which loves areas of the garden that benefit from autumnal sun, but will also happily nestle under a deciduous tree. You can plant them in October or November in moist soil.
Snowdrops
The pretty snowdrop will pop up year after year, drooping its delicate heads come the spring. Plant them at the same time as your winter aconites. You can grow them in pots, or they’ll spread in moist, even shaded soil.
Tulip bulbs
Tulips add colourful drama to your garden, with October to November the best time to protect them from diseases like tulip fire.2 You’ll need to dig them up and start again in three years if you see signs.
Hyacinth bulbs
Planted from September to November, the gorgeous hyacinth will add fragrance and colour to your garden. You’ll have many varieties to choose from in reds, yellows, whites, blues or pinks. Plant them deeply in part-shade or in a pot and protect them from frost.
Bluebells
Traditional English bluebells thrive in deciduous woodlands or shrubs and will flower from April to May if planted between September and November. Perfect for a border, pot or container.
Michaelmas Daisies
Plant the colourful Michaelmas daisy or aster about 20cm apart in late September and enjoy these daisy-like flowers in the spring. Put them in the ground or in plants and mix up the colours for an eye-popping display.
Autumn-planted herbs
The best herbs to plant in autumn for a taste sensation in May are the following:
Coriander
Plant coriander in moist, damp but well-drained soil under cover, like a cloche or hoop house. It will grow well in partial shade, and you can pick it in May for use in stir-fries, soups, curries, and salads.
Parsley
You can plant this vitamin-rich, hardy herb from seeds as late as September and October for harvesting throughout the winter. It’s easy to grow in the ground or containers and comes in various curly and flat-leaf varieties. You may need to protect seedlings from frost.
Mint
Perennials like mint are hardy herbs that you can plant in the autumn, especially in pots and containers, and you can bring them indoors before frosts start. Other options are rosemary and oregano.
Chervil
Another excellent choice for autumn sowing is chervil. Give it a place to germinate from seeds indoors until they’re ready to plant out. You’ll need to ensure good drainage and to cover them with a cloche.
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Sources
1 https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/learn-about/weather/seasons/autumn/when-does-autumn-start
2 https://www.gardensillustrated.com/plants/bulbs/tulip-fire