Zone 8 - What to Plant in October

Zone 8 - What to Plant in October

Zone 8 growers still have a couple months of growing season before their first frost arrives in late November. The earlier you start in October the better. Try direct sowing some kale, spinach, radish and other second season vegetables. Below is a list of items that can be planted in zone 8 in October.

The Tom Thumb Lettuce is a tennis ball sized Bibb type with a great flavor! This slightly savory, bright green lettuce produces small compact heads that have slightly crumpled leaves with a sweet, delicate flavor. One head will make a salad for two! Tom Thumb will grow beautifully in small pots, window boxes, hanging baskets and planted under trees. This variety is the oldest American lettuce still grown, dating back to 1830's! This rare find is a good one!

Little SnowPea Purple produces dwarf-sized vines with beautiful purple flowers. This pea plant is tiny yet productive and does well in small gardens or containers. The pods mature early and have a crunchy bite. Plants will reach a maximum height of 24 inches. For pea shoots, matures in 10 days. Expect slender, tight greens with minimal side branching, upright habit, and ease of harvest and stack.

Little SnowPea White produces dwarf-sized vines with beautiful purple flowers. This pea plant is tiny yet productive and does well in small gardens or containers. The pods mature early and have a crunchy bite. Plants will reach a maximum height of 24 inches. For pea shoots, matures in 10 days. Expect slender, tight greens with minimal side branching, upright habit, and ease of harvest and stack.

Sugar Sprint Pea will sprint into the production of delicious peas! This fast maturing, heavy producing pea plant is one of the earliest maturing peas available. This pea variety produces 3" stringless snap peas over a long period. Sugar Sprint is heat tolerant and resistant to powdery mildew.

The Outredegeous Lettuce is a deep, dark purple red romaine that will maintain its dark color even under low-light conditions! This mesmerizing variety is a wonderful baby leaf type and large loose leaf type, making it the perfect lettuce for salad growers. You can start using its leaves after 28 days. Outredegeous seeds are a natural mix of black and white.

The Cherry Belle Radish is the earliest maturing, garden standard radish. This variety is a 1949 All-American Winner and there is no wonder why. This radish retains its fine eating quality all season. The Cherry Belle is a round, smooth, scarlet beauty. This radish is 3/4" inches across with a crisp, white flesh that is ideal for garnishes or use in salads.

The Pink Summercicle Radish will bring you an endless summer with its bright pink color, sweet taste and popsicle-like shape! These 5-6 inches long roots have a crisp white inside with an extra sweet flavor. This very adaptable variety is best when grown in the early spring or fall. Enjoy the Pink Summercicle in salads or stir-fries!

The Confetti Mix is a fast maturing, colorful bled of the classic red, white, and bi colored radishes, all with a remarkable flavor! This fun mix is a beautiful addition to any assortment. These classic bright colors are perfect for any market grower or home gardener.

Gypsy is a hybrid broccoli that produces well in warmer growing zones. An excellent variety for greenhouse production. Gypsy has a strong root system and intermediate downy mildew resistance. Gypsy yields excellent, smooth, dome-shaped heads with medium-small beads.

Roxanne is a hybrid radish with uniform bright red color and a beautiful creamy white interior. Roxanne is a great tasting radish with no pithiness or bleeding even at a larger size. This radish stays firm and solid even when oversized, and holds well in the garden.

The Minowase Daikon Radish has a crisp firm flesh is pure white. This Daikon radish, produces long tapered white radishes that are mostly used as winter radishes. The Minowase has a great, mild taste that is excellent in many Oriental dishes. This radish variety is great for spring or late summer planting.

The Early Scarlet Globe is an early forcing radish that is perfect for home and market growers! This variety is a great bunching radish that produces 1" globes with bright red skin and a white flesh. The Early Scarlet Globe is great for both spring and fall planting!

The Merlot is a looseleaf type of lettuce with intense deep burgundy colored leaves. This variety is slow bolting and ideal for cut and come again culture. Enjoy this beautifully colored lettuce in a baby salad mix!

The Lolla Rosso Darky Lettuce is known for its deep red, curled loose leaves. This attractive lettuce is an heirloom that has beautiful magenta leaves with a light green base that gives a great presentation. Lolla Rosso Darky has a mild flavor that is a cut and come again, good to sow in the spring or fall.

The Olympia is a top-notch smooth leaf hybrid spinach that has a great flavor. This spinach Hybrid has thick and dark green leaves that grow upright. The Olympia is highly recommended for spring, summer, fall and over wintering crops because it resists bolting under high temperatures and long day conditions. Treated seed.

The Royal Oakleaf is a long standing oak leaf lettuce that has good heat resistance. This variety develops beautiful rosettes of deeply lobed sea green leaves. Royal Oakleaf is an improved version of the standard oak leaf lettuce. The Royal Oakleaf has excellent flavor, crispness and tenderness that is one that cannot be beat!

The Green express is a bright green mini cabbage with excellent flavor! This favorite is now available as organic. The early maturing cabbage has a mild flavor and crisp texture that can't be beat. The Green Express can be sown directly in Fall gardens or transplanted in Spring.

The Vivian lettuce is a tightly bunched romaine with broad dark green crisp leaves. Its leaves are 12-16 in. long and 4-6 in. across. Vivian is bolt resistant and suitable for commercial and home growers. Its erect dark green leaves are great for baby leaf production.