What to plant in October
October means something very different in Minnesota and in Texas. Below is what the month looks like in each USDA zone, then a dated list for each state.
October by USDA zone
Counted from each zone’s typical frost dates. Your own frost dates matter more than your zone number - the state pages below use state averages.
| Zone | Frost dates | Crops to sow or plant | Including |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Jun 15 – Aug 20 | 0 | planning and seed ordering |
| Zone 2 | Jun 1 – Sep 1 | 0 | planning and seed ordering |
| Zone 3 (October dates) | May 15 – Sep 15 | 2 | shallot, garlic |
| Zone 4 (October dates) | May 10 – Sep 25 | 2 | shallot, garlic |
| Zone 5 (October dates) | Apr 30 – Oct 5 | 2 | shallot, garlic |
| Zone 6 (October dates) | Apr 15 – Oct 15 | 2 | shallot, garlic |
| Zone 7 (October dates) | Apr 5 – Oct 25 | 1 | shallot |
| Zone 8 (October dates) | Mar 20 – Nov 5 | 3 | arugula, watercress, radish |
| Zone 9 (October dates) | Feb 20 – Nov 30 | 20 | beet, cilantro / coriander, bok choy / pak choi, borage, dill |
| Zone 10 (October dates) | Jan 30 – Dec 15 | 30 | bush bean, carrot, kale, radicchio, collard greens |
October planting lists by state (50)
Alabama3 crops to sow or plantAlaska2 crops to sow or plantArizona8 crops to sow or plantArkansas1 crops to sow or plantCalifornia20 crops to sow or plantColorado2 crops to sow or plantConnecticut2 crops to sow or plantDelaware1 crops to sow or plantDistrict of Columbia1 crops to sow or plantFlorida31 crops to sow or plantGeorgia3 crops to sow or plantIdaho2 crops to sow or plantIllinois2 crops to sow or plantIndiana2 crops to sow or plantIowa2 crops to sow or plantKansas2 crops to sow or plantKentucky2 crops to sow or plantLouisiana8 crops to sow or plantMaine2 crops to sow or plantMaryland2 crops to sow or plantMassachusetts2 crops to sow or plantMichigan2 crops to sow or plantMinnesota2 crops to sow or plantMississippi3 crops to sow or plantMissouri2 crops to sow or plantMontana2 crops to sow or plantNebraska2 crops to sow or plantNevada2 crops to sow or plantNew Hampshire2 crops to sow or plantNew Jersey2 crops to sow or plantNew Mexico2 crops to sow or plantNew York2 crops to sow or plantNorth Carolina1 crops to sow or plantNorth Dakota2 crops to sow or plantOhio2 crops to sow or plantOklahoma1 crops to sow or plantOregon2 crops to sow or plantPennsylvania2 crops to sow or plantRhode Island2 crops to sow or plantSouth Carolina3 crops to sow or plantSouth Dakota2 crops to sow or plantTennessee1 crops to sow or plantTexas8 crops to sow or plantUtah2 crops to sow or plantVermont2 crops to sow or plantVirginia2 crops to sow or plantWashington2 crops to sow or plantWest Virginia2 crops to sow or plantWisconsin2 crops to sow or plantWyoming2 crops to sow or plant
More states are added regularly. In the meantime every state has a full-year planting calendar, and you can get dates for your own ZIP code there.