We’re aiming to get all our plants dispatched for autumn within the next 3 weeks, by mid-October, before we lose too much daylight and before the weather turns cold. By doing this and capturing this planting window, we hope to both avoid planting the seedlings when frosty mornings are likely and give them a chance to get their root systems well established so that they can tolerate the winter.
We find that when planted by mid-October most of the autumn veggies will really thrive (particularly in milder areas of the country). If planted later, they may struggle unless they’re being planted in a very sheltered spot or in a greenhouse/polytunnel.
A quick word on planting autumn veggies…We’d recommend that you give them plenty of fresh compost when planting as this will boost the nutrients in the soil and provide a nice, easy transition for their roots. Once you’ve planted them it’s well worth adding a mulch (some leaf mould or well rotted compost) to give them a bit of protection from the elements. Don’t forget that the soil is still quite dry after the long summer, in spite of the showers we’ve had over the last few days.