Use autumn space for one of three outcomes: leaves before winter, hardy crops that hold through cold, or a head start next spring. The right choice changes quickly from September to November.
Jump to the month-by-month calendar ↓The short answer
September is for sowing. October and November are mainly for planting and overwintering.
In September, sow hardy salads, spinach, rocket, radish and suitable oriental leaves. In October, prioritise garlic, autumn onion sets and—in mild, well-drained places—hardy broad beans. November narrows the list further: garlic and hardy broad beans remain possible, but wet soil is a stronger reason to use pots or wait than the calendar is a reason to rush.
Autumn vegetable calendar
What to sow and plant each month
Dates assume typical UK conditions. Move earlier in colder, wetter or exposed areas; use local weather and the packet as the final check.
September
The last broad sowing windowSow for autumn or early winter leaves
Winter spinach, winter lettuce, rocket, radish, baby turnips, pak choi and other hardy oriental leaves. Use cover as light and temperature fall.
Sow or plant for spring
Hardy spring onions, spring cabbage plants, autumn onion sets and, towards the end of the month where appropriate, garlic.
Watch: warm early September can push pak choi and spinach to bolt; late September sowings may establish but pause until spring.
October
Shift from seeds to sets and clovesPlant now
Plant named garlic and autumn onion sets into free-draining soil or containers. Firm onion sets and protect them if birds pull them out.
Sow selectively
Use hardy winter lettuce under cover. Sow a suitable broad bean variety only on mild, sheltered, well-drained sites; otherwise wait or start individual pots under unheated protection.
Watch: a cloche adds protection but also traps humidity. Ventilate on mild days and do not keep saturated compost enclosed.
November
Plant only where conditions fitStill possible
Plant garlic outdoors in mild, free-draining sites, or in modules inside a cold frame. Sow hardy broad beans outdoors in mild areas or in pots in an unheated greenhouse in colder places.
Use empty ground well
Do not force a crop into waterlogged soil. Clear diseased debris, mulch bare beds, repair covers and reserve the space for a reliable late-winter sowing.
Watch: autumn-sown beans can fail on wet, exposed sites. A spring sowing often catches up surprisingly well.
Choose by result
What do you want the space to produce?
This is more reliable than choosing a crop from a long list without considering when it will pay back the space.
Leaves soon
Sow spinach, rocket, radish and hardy salad leaves in September. Use a cloche or unheated greenhouse as conditions slow.
Best for: pots and gaps after summer cropsA spring head start
Plant garlic, onion sets and hardy broad beans at their proper autumn window. They occupy the space for months but bring the next harvest forward.
Best for: a sunny, free-draining bedProtect the soil
Where it is too late or wet to establish food crops, mulch or use an appropriate green manure instead of leaving compacted, weedy ground.
Best for: beds needed again in springA simple small-space autumn plan
One raised bed and three pots
Keep the bed purposeful without filling every centimetre.
- Bed half A
September leaves
Short rows of spinach, rocket and radish. Harvest the radish first to release space around the leaves.
- Bed half B
October garlic
Plant named cloves at their recommended spacing, leaving the block undisturbed until summer.
- Pot 1
Winter lettuce
Place under an unheated cover and ventilate in mild weather.
- Pots 2–3
Broad bean test
Sow a hardy dwarf variety if your site suits autumn beans; otherwise keep the pots for a February sowing.
Autumn sowing questions
Useful answers before you plant
What vegetables can I sow in September in the UK?
September is the strongest autumn sowing month. Depending on your region and seed packet, useful choices include winter spinach, winter lettuce, rocket, radish, turnips, hardy spring onions and oriental salad leaves. Later sowings grow more reliably under an unheated cloche or greenhouse.
What vegetables can I plant in October in the UK?
October is a good planting month for garlic and autumn onion sets. Hardy broad beans can be sown on mild, sheltered, free-draining sites. Winter salads may still establish under cover, but growth will be slow.
Is November too late to plant vegetables?
It is too late for many quick crops outdoors, but not for everything. In suitable conditions you can plant garlic and sow a hardy broad bean variety. On wet, exposed or cold sites, start them in modules or pots under unheated protection, or wait until late winter.
What is the easiest autumn vegetable for a container?
Garlic is dependable where the pot drains freely and receives sun. For an earlier edible result, sow winter spinach or hardy salad leaves in September and protect them from prolonged wet and severe cold.
Checked guidance
Sources behind the calendar
SowNext uses conservative UK windows and labels choices that depend heavily on region, drainage and variety.