Zone 9 - What to Plant in October

Zone 9 - What to Plant in October

It's finally cooling down a bit in zone 9 and this gives us a good window to grow some crops before the first frost in mid-December. Try growing a mix of fast growing warm and cool season crops. Below is a list of items that can be planted in zone 9 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 Orange Dream cauliflower performs like a dream in outdoor and greenhouse growing conditions. This cauliflower is a medium-large plant. Orange Dream is a pastel orange cauliflower that exhibits great tolerance to heat and stress.

The Sweet Valentine Lettuce is a beautiful bronze-red variety that turns apple-green in the center, making it look and taste sweet! This lettuce starts out as a head lettuce before forming a looseleaf romaine excel. Sweet Valentine holds long into the heat without bolting and is one of the sweetest lettuces around.

The Dwarf Romaine is just like its name, a dwarf romaine lettuce type. This variety has a dark green color with a crispy and tender texture. The Dwarf Romaine is adapted to indoor & outdoor production. This romaine lettuce is mainly for cool season production.

The Noble Giant is an old heirloom that was an All-America Selections Winner in 1933. This spinach variety produces huge, dark green leaves with a very delicious flavor. This spinach is great in salads, cooked, canned or frozen. The Noble Giant is slow to bolt and is very easy to grow, making it perfect the perfect spinach for the home gardener!

The Champion collard is a tasty improved Vates selection! These large, dark green, cabbage-like leaves retain eating quality for up to 2 weeks or longer. Champion is a compact collard plant that has an increased bolt resistance and enhanced winter hardiness, truly making it a champion!

The Susan Delafield is a dazzling hardneck Porcelain variety that produces delicious and attractive purplish-pink cloves. This garlic has a delicious spicy flavor and will store well for up to 8-9 months. This variety is perfect for northern climates and is acclimated to moist conditions. The Susan Delafield averages 4-6 cloves per bulb.

Chamisal Wild is a hot and spicy garlic with cloves that are deep red! This variety can reach up to 3" in diameter, loves cold winters and matures late in the season. The Chamisal Wild was first discovered on the creek banks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico.

The Amish Rocambole garlic is certified with a very strong and hot flavor! Amish Rocambole (aka Amish White or Amish) has a pungently hot and lingering flavor. A lively growing cultivar, the Amish Rocambole grows better in areas that have cold winters. Approximately 10 garlic bulbs per pound. Approximately 8-10 cloves per bulb.

California Late is the most commonly used garlic in the United States. This variety produces large bulbs with 12-16 good size cloves. California Late is more on the hot side with a classic garlic flavor. California Late is later maturing than California Early, as it ripens in July. It stores for about 8-12 months. California Late is a really great all around use garlic that is also excellent for baking.

Freckles Lettuce gets its name for being an unusual bright green romaine lettuce with crimson freckles! This uniquely colored lettuce is sun-loving and grows upright. This variety has a crisp texture that can be harvested early or late!

The Comet Radish is an old All-America Selection winner that has proven its quality! This variety has been popular since it won AAS in 1936. This variety has a ruby red skin with a crisp snow white flesh. Its globed and almost perfectly round shape, made the Comet a popular supermarket variety for years.