October Planting Guide

October Gardening in Orange County

October is one of the best gardening months in Orange County. Our weather is not yet chilly, but by now the sweltering days of summer have usually passed.

It’s a great time to plant just about anything, including many trees, shrubs, and perennials, which will set down a strong root system over the winter. Now is also the time to plant cool season vegetables. The following is a sampling of what can be planted this month:

Flowers

  • Agapanthus
  • Alyssum
  • Aster
  • Bachelor’s Button
  • Begonia
  • Bromeliad
  • Calendula
  • California Poppy
  • Canna
  • Campanula
  • Canterbury Bell
  • Carnation
  • Chrysanthemum
  • Cyclamen
  • Delphinium
  • English Primrose
  • Felicia
  • Foxglove
  • Geranium
  • Iceland Poppy
  • Impatiens
  • Japanese Anemone
  • Lilac
  • Lantana
  • Nasturtium
  • Pansy
  • Penstemon
  • Portulaca
  • Rudbeckia
  • Scabiosa
  • Schizanthus
  • Shasta Daisy
  • Snapdragon
  • Stock
  • Succulent
  • Sweet Pea
  • Viola
  • Sweet Violet
  • Sweet William

Vegetables

  • Artichoke
  • Arugula
  • Asparagus
  • Beet
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Carrot
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Collards
  • Endive
  • Garlic
  • Horseradish
  • Kale
  • Kohlrabi
  • Leek
  • Lettuce
  • Mustard Greens
  • Onion
  • Oriental Greens
  • Parsnip
  • Pea
  • Potato
  • Radish
  • Rhubarb
  • Rutabaga
  • Salsify
  • Shallot
  • Spinach
  • Swiss Chard
  • Turnip

Herbs

  • Bay Laurel
  • Chamomile
  • Chervil
  • Chive
  • Cilantro
  • Comfrey
  • Dill
  • Fennel
  • Lavender
  • Mint
  • Oregano
  • Parsley
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Thyme

Bulbs and Tubers

  • Anemone
  • Babiana
  • Bearded Iris
  • Freesia
  • Homeria
  • Lily
  • Ranunculus
  • Sparaxis
  • Tritonia
  • Watsonia

Julie Bawden-Davis

Julie Bawden-Davis is a bestselling journalist, novelist, blogger, and YouTuber. A prolific author, Julie writes in several genres. She enjoys creating page-turning suspense served up with a dose of romance, garden books that turn any brown thumb green, and spiritual books meant to enlighten and inspire. Widely published, Julie has written 45 books and more than 4,000 articles for a wide variety of national and international publications. She lives in Southern California, where she enjoys sunny, blue skies most days and year-round gardening. Julie gains inspiration from being surrounded by plants when she writes.