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 Optima Lettuce is a large-framed Boston type that produces dark green leaves that have excellent heat tolerance and will resist bolting. This variety is known for being resistant to tip burn as well as races 1-4 of mildew. This great lettuce also has a juicy, crisp flavor that is amazing cut up in salads or on sandwiches!

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 Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea is one of our customer favorite peas! Produces an abundance of attractive purple and blue flowers. These flowers are edible, have a light pea flavor and look great on many dishes. The mature peas are very flavorful and is ideal for steaming, stir-frying or eating fresh out of the garden. Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea is suitable for northern and southern regions, as it is tolerant to heat and cold.

Minowase radish seeds produce a classic Japanese daikon variety with origins in East Asia, where long-rooted radishes have been cultivated for centuries for their productivity and versatility. Known for its smooth white roots that often reach 12–18 inches, Minowase features crisp, juicy flesh with a mild, slightly sweet, lightly peppery flavor that is far gentler than smaller spring radishes. Its clean taste and firm texture make it ideal for microgreens, sprouts, salads, pickling, stir-fries, soups, fermenting, and even grating fresh as a condiment. This variety grows best in cool weather and loose, deeply prepared soil that allows for long, straight roots; sow seeds directly in late summer or early fall, provide consistent moisture, thin seedlings to prevent crowding, and harvest before hard frosts for the best quality.

The Cheddar cauliflower lives up to its name with its awesome cheddar color and great flavor! This cauliflower is a novelty, orange curd that is high in beta-carotene. A mid-size plant, domed head, and is very productive in the fall. Fun to watch grow and eat!

The Knight Pea is the highest yielding, early maturing pea that we have! This pea variety's vines are short and therefore require no staking. Its huge pods can grow to be 4 inches with up to 10 peas in each pod! Knight is a favorite for its tender and sweet flavor, making it the perfect side dish.

The Seven Top is a tender, round and beautiful white globed turnip variety that produces consistently for a long period! This turnip is the best variety for producing masses of fine-flavored, old-fashioned, turnip greens that makes the ultimate southern staple!

The Purple Plum is an amazing purple skinned radish with a crisp, mild and sweet white flesh! This unique radish is different from the "typical" radish coloring. This small round shaped radish is early to harvest, which makes it great for home and market growers. Purple Plum is a nice variety to blend with other colors in mixes!

The Romaine Trio Blend is a mixture of three of our specialty romaine lettuces. This tri-colored blend is very popular for not only its beautiful color variation and vigorous growth, but also for its delicious taste.

Aspabroc broccoli seeds grow into a unique hybrid vegetable developed in the early 1990s by crossing standard broccoli with a Chinese kale-gai lan variety, resulting in what’s often called “broccolini.” This plant produces slender, tender stems topped with small, loose florets that resemble asparagus in shape, hence the name. Aspabroc is prized for its sweet, mild flavor with subtle peppery notes, making it delicious whether steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, or grilled. It thrives in cool-season conditions, preferring full sun and fertile, well-drained soil, with harvests ready in about 50–60 days after transplanting. Known for its extended harvest period, plants continue producing side shoots after the main head is cut, giving gardeners a steady supply. Its unique history, high nutritional value, and gourmet quality make Aspabroc a popular choice for home growers and chefs alike.

The Bouquet Dill is an early maturing dill variety with dark feathered green leaves that produces an intoxicating, tangy aroma. This early flowering favorite is now available in organic seeds! The Bouquet is easy to grow and is popular for its flavor and uniform foliage. It can be used to enhance salads, soups and more. Along with its amazing culinary properties, the Bouquet is also perfect for filling in bouquets and cut flowers.

Storage #4 is a great producer of dark green color cabbage that have excellent storage life. This versatile variety also works great in the late fall for fresh market, especially in muddy and rainy conditions. Due to its earliness when used for storage, we recommend later season plantings for best storage results.

The Little Marvel Pea is a well known old time home garden favorite, that is really a marvel! This pea is an excellent choice selected for its high yield potential and excellent sweet flavor making it the most satisfactory pea in the home garden. This variety's plants are very productive and compact and will grow up to 30" tall. Little Marvel produces small bright green pods with luscious, sugary peas that stay tender and sweet even when fully ripe!

The super sweet Renegade Spinach is simply the best all-around Spinach! This very adaptable spinach variety is early maturing with heavy yields and is easy to grow. Its dark green, rounded leaves are resistant to mildew and arise profusely on compact plants. Renegade is perfect for beginning gardeners and those that have been let down by other varieties!

Red Acre cabbage is simply the best early maturing red cabbage! Red Acre is a fantastic cabbage that produces reddish-purple heads. Each cabbage head grows to 7 inches in diameter and weighs about 3 pounds. Red Acre is resistant to cabbage yellowing and is great for home gardens that have little space. Red Acre cabbage stores better than just about any other early cabbage variety. Great raw or for coleslaw use.

The Lincoln Pea is an extra tender variety with a sweet flavor and high yields. This pea variety was introduced just after World War II during the peace time. Lincoln quickly became a popular home garden variety due to its versatility, as it can be eaten fresh, froze or canned. Its pods can reach 4-5" in length and are full of 6-9 sweet, tender peas. Lincoln does well in heat and should have a small pea fence or some sort of support or its vines.

The Giant Caesar Lettuce is an amazing bright green looseleaf romaine type that has a buttery sweet flavor similar to a butterhead. This variety's large leaves are easy to pick without any tearing or bruising. The Giant Caesar is heat resistant and will hold its color and flavor well.

Wando pea seeds are a popular heirloom variety known for their cold tolerance and early harvest. They produce vibrant green, sweet-tasting peas that are perfect for fresh eating, freezing, or cooking. The seeds grow into plants that are typically 18-24 inches tall, making them ideal for small gardens or containers. Wando peas are well-suited for cooler climates, as they can withstand light frosts and thrive in temperatures between 55°F and 75°F. With a quick maturation time of about 60-70 days, they are a great choice for gardeners looking to enjoy peas early in the growing season. Their resilience and ease of growth make them a favorite among both beginner and experienced gardeners.