October is an ideal time to get a head start by making early sowings and plantings of flowers, fruit, and vegetable crops, setting the stage for a productive year ahead. In the vegetable patch, you can begin planting Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Arugula, Radishes, Carrots, onions, garlic, broad beans, and peas, optimizing available bare soil and ensuring earlier crops for the upcoming season. October also signifies the start of bare-root planting season, allowing for the planting of bare-root apple and pear trees and fruiting shrubs like blackcurrants and gooseberries.

In the ornamental garden and cut flower patch, you can make your final sowings of hardy annuals over winter, ensuring an early burst of spring blossoms. Additionally, you can sow perennials that benefit from exposure to colder temperatures to aid in germination, such as primulas. Furthermore, this is the perfect time to transplant bedding plants like wallflowers and forget-me-nots for a beautiful spring display.