These Are The Seeds To Sow In October & How To Plant Them

If next year’s long range weather forecast is anything to go by, then we need to start preparing our gardens for even hotter and drier conditions. One very effective way of doing this is to start sowing hardy annual seeds outside. These are seeds which can tolerate cold weather and even light frosts, whereas half-hardy annuals need to be sown indoors and can only go outside after the last risk of frosts.

At this time of the year, the soil is still very warm which means that seeds will germinate quickly and establish good strong roots before the weather gets too extreme. It also means that come spring these plants will grow quicker and flower earlier than spring sown ones. They will also have the huge advantage of being well-established by the time the heat waves hit us next year. Anyone wanting to grow flowers for cutting would be well advised to adopt autumn sowing because it will produce longer, stronger stems and better blooms.

But which seeds should you sow and how? Rosebie Morton, founder of The Real Flower Company, shares her top tips.

Rosebie Morton’s October Gardening Guide

Preparing The Ground

Ground preparation can be very simple; ideally sowing should be in an area with no weeds. Remove any large stones and lumps of soil and break the soil up so that it is a reasonably fine tilth. Then with the back of a hoe draw a shallow trench across the bed. If you are very orderly, then two posts, one at each end of the bed with a string attached will ensure a straight line for your trench.

Sowing The Seeds

Sprinkle the seed finely down the trench and then cover lightly with soil before firming the area gently to give a firm seed bed. If it seems very dry, then it is worth watering the bed. As the seeds germinate, you can then thin them out to avoid overcrowding. They should happily get going and need minimal input – though if it’s going to be really cold then a bit of horticultural fleece to cover the growing plants is a good insurance policy. Once spring comes you can move your plants into their final positions or leave them where they are to be used as a cutting garden. If space is an issue, there is nothing wrong with sowing hardy annuals into pots.

Marigold. Credit: Bryan Rittenberry, Flickr

The Seeds To Pick

The big conundrum with so many seeds to choose from, is which to pick! I have a few trusted favourites. First up, has to be Nigella damascena, a wonderful cut flower and so reliable; it also self-seeds all over the place once established. Centaurea cyanus (AKA cornflowers) are also high on the list, as is Calendula officinalis (marigold). Very reliable and good for cutting, these flowers also ward pests such as such as aphids and whiteflies off tomatoes. They are also a fantastic pollinator, attracting not only bees but hoverflies which feed heavily on aphids! Marigolds also have plenty of health benefits thanks to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, meaning you can dry-up the petals and transform them into a healing tea or tincture.

Ammi majus (Queen Anne’s lace) and Orlaya are also firm favourite, thanks to their delicate umbels of white flowers. I exhibited the latter on our stand at Chelsea Flower Show one year and it really stole the show. It can be tricky to germinate but starting it in the autumn gives a better success rate. Larkspur similarly thrives on getting going early and is such an asset in any garden. And if you want a meadow, be it large or small, now’s the time to get sowing. So go, get ahead this autumn and reap the benefits next year.