October is still planting season in many gardens. Spring bulbs, garlic and shallots need a winter in the ground, and several cool-season flowers, greens and cover crops have time to root before a hard freeze.

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Timing depends on your zone, so each entry below says where October planting works and where it is too late. The guidance comes from extension services and SARE.

1. Garlic (Allium sativum)

Garlic goes in during fall so the cloves can root before the ground freezes. In cold climates, University of Minnesota Extension suggests planting one or two weeks after the first killing frost. Break the bulb into cloves, set each one pointed side up with its base 2 to 3 inches deep, and space them about 6 inches apart.

Choose hardneck garlic for cold northern gardens. Softneck types produce more cloves and braid easily, but the same extension guide notes they do not do well under Minnesota conditions. Harvest comes the following summer.

2. Tulips (Tulipa)

Tulips need a long cold spell to bloom, which is why they go in during fall. Iowa State University Extension recommends planting once soil temperatures fall below about 60°F and before the ground freezes, which means October in much of the Midwest. Plant large bulbs like tulips 6 to 8 inches deep, pointed end up, in a spot with at least six hours of sun and well-drained soil.

Warm-winter gardens need a workaround. In Texas, AgriLife Extension advises chilling tulip bulbs in the refrigerator for 6 to 10 weeks and planting them in early to mid-December. Treat them as annuals there, since they usually don’t get enough winter chill to come back.

3. Daffodils (Narcissus)

Daffodils are the bulb to plant where squirrels and chipmunks dig up tulips. University of Minnesota Extension notes that narcissus bulbs are poisonous and animals tend to avoid them. That makes them rarely eaten rather than strictly critter-proof, and it means they belong where pets and children won’t dig them up.

Plant daffodils on the same schedule as tulips: October across much of the North, once soil drops below about 60°F. Iowa State University Extension recommends setting large bulbs 6 to 8 inches deep in a spot with at least six hours of direct sun and well-drained, fertile soil.

4. Garden peonies (Paeonia lactiflora)

Fall is the time to move or divide garden peonies. University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension calls September and October the ideal window, and University of Minnesota Extension advises dividing perennials four to six weeks before the ground freezes. In colder zones, that means early October rather than late.

Give each division three to five eyes, the pink buds on the crown. Set the eyes no more than 2 inches below the soil surface, since peonies planted deeper often fail to bloom well. They need six to eight hours of sun and about 3 to 5 feet of space. Expect a moved plant to skip flowering for a year or more while it settles in.

5. Shallots (Allium cepa, Aggregatum Group)

Shallots are planted much like garlic. Kansas State Research and Extension recommends planting garlic and shallots four to six weeks before a freeze, during October’s cool, moist weeks. Separate the cluster into single bulbs and plant each one root end down.

Utah State University Extension suggests setting bulbs 1 to 2 inches deep and 3 to 6 inches apart, in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. With room to spread, one bulb can form a cluster of 10 to 15, while crowded bulbs may make just one each. Harvest in early summer after the tops yellow and fall over, then store the bulbs in mesh bags somewhere cool and dry.

6. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)

Spinach handles cold better than most greens, but October sowing only makes a fall crop in mild climates. University of Minnesota Extension advises sowing a fall crop about two months before your average first frost, and notes that fall spinach grows under shortening days without bolting. Texas A&M AgriLife lists mid-October as a workable spinach planting time in many parts of Texas.

Farther north, October is past that date for a fall harvest. Where winters are milder, late-sown spinach can overwinter and resume growth in spring. Sow seed ¼ to ½ inch deep and thin to 2 to 4 inches apart. A floating row cover helps protect plants from freezing.

7. Pansies and violas (Viola × wittrockiana and Viola cornuta)

Pansies and their smaller-flowered relatives, violas, are cool-season flowers that go in once the soil cools. N.C. Cooperative Extension puts the best planting time in North Carolina at late October through early November, with soil between 45°F and 65°F. Planted too early, they turn yellow and leggy. Planted too late, they don’t root in before winter.

A layer of mulch helps insulate the roots during cold snaps. Viola cornuta is a perennial in zones 6 to 11, according to the NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Its flowers are edible and draw bees and butterflies, and the plant hosts fritillary butterfly caterpillars.

8. Ornamental cabbage and kale (Brassica oleracea)

Ornamental cabbage and kale are sold as transplants in fall and planted in a sunny spot as the weather cools. According to N.C. Cooperative Extension, their white, pink or red centers begin to color when temperatures dip below 50°F, so the display improves into late fall.

Once they settle in, the plants can survive temperatures as low as 5°F, and in mild areas they may last into spring. They are grown for looks, and the same extension article notes they are considered ornamental rather than edible. Use them in containers and bed edges where summer annuals have finished.

9. Autumn Joy sedum (Hylotelephium ‘Herbstfreude’)

Autumn Joy is a tough, succulent perennial for sunny, well-drained spots. The NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists it as hardy in zones 3 to 10 and notes that its late-summer and fall flowers are a nectar source for butterflies and bees. The dried seed heads stay standing into winter.

October planting suits milder zones where the first frost is still about six weeks away, which Illinois Extension recommends for fall-planted perennials. Farther north, early September is safer. Set the crown level with the soil and water until the first hard frost. Once established it is drought tolerant, but it struggles in soggy soil.

10. Cereal rye (Secale cereale)

Cereal rye is the most forgiving cover crop for a late start. SARE recommends seeding from late summer to mid-fall in zones 3 to 7, and from fall into midwinter in zones 8 and warmer. Its fibrous roots hold soil over winter, take up leftover nitrogen and help suppress winter weeds.

For a garden bed, broadcast about 2 to 3½ pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet and rake it in no deeper than 2 inches. Cut or turn it under in spring before it matures and sets seed. Rye residue can hold back small seeds, so SARE suggests waiting three to four weeks before sowing crops like carrots or onions.

11. Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum)

Crimson clover is a nitrogen-fixing cover crop, but October sowing only works in the South. SARE advises seeding six to eight weeks before the average first frost. That means August in northern areas, while the Gulf South can plant into mid-November. It overwinters dependably in zone 8 and becomes unreliable north of lower zone 6.

Broadcast about 0.5 to 0.7 pound of seed per 1,000 square feet and rake lightly for good seed-to-soil contact. In spring, its deep red flowers produce abundant nectar and draw bees. A good stand can supply 70 to 150 pounds of nitrogen per acre to the crop that follows.