Is it too late to sow now, in October?

You are not the only one who may doubt planting anything in their garden this time of year. Common questions that we often hear are, “Is it too late in the year to sow seed now?” … or “is it too cold to sow seed in October?”. In short, the answer is that it’s certainly possible to sow grass seed at this time of year - but success depends on a few things when we are this close to the colder months.

Consistent 10°C temperatures are needed to sow late in the year

The first and arguably most important thing needed for growing this time of year is the temperature! For instance, if you are getting consistent day and night-time temperatures of 10 °C (and above) for the next few weeks, then your newly planted seeds have a good chance of growing. Most importantly, these temperatures will give your grass seed the required growing conditions to sow seed this late in the year. But, if the temperature in your area is forecast to drop any lower, then sowing seed this late in the year should be avoided!

Newly planted grass seed will take between 6-8 weeks to fully establish and grow, but if you would like to speed things up a bit (which is not a bad idea this time of year), then our Pre-Seed First Feed would help significantly.

October can be a good time to sow seed for a few reasons:

• It can often be warm enough to keep the soil above 10 degrees, but not so warm that it will scorch your seedlings
• In October and early winter, weed growth slows down. This means that weeds are less likely to start growing among your newly planted seeds
• From late autumn onwards, rain is more likely which means you have less watering to do for your newly sown seed

Make sure you pick the right seed

Aside from temperature, the best chance you have of sowing and growing a beautiful lawn or starting your wildflower meadow in October is choosing the right seed. Things you should think about when picking your mix are:

• The level of use your lawn gets, whether you have an ornamental lawn that's walked on rarely or need fast-growing grass seed for a busy lawn.
• the soil type in the area – different grass seed is needed for clay soil
• We have a specific seed mix that grows better if your lawn is shaded
• And we even have a durable Tough Stuff mix that’s ideal for pets

If you need a little extra help with this, you can use our Product Finder Page or contact us directly and we can discuss your best options.

Sowing wildflower seed is perfect this time of year

Temperatures throughout the UK are still great for growing throughout most of September and early October, reaching highs of 10 degrees and above. Conveniently, these mild temperatures are warm enough for growth to occur without being scorching - making late autumn the perfect time to sow.

However, wildflower seeds are like grass in that they don’t like frost within the first few weeks. For example, Annuals-only mixes such as our Absolutely Annuals mix will grow well in these optimal conditions, and you should see blooms within 60-80 days.

These temperatures are also great for our wildflower mixes that contain annuals, perennials and meadow grasses. This is because the grasses will also need a minimum of 10 degrees to grow successfully.

Now that you know that you can sow grass and wildflower seed when the conditions are right, make sure you check out our guides on how to grow grass seed, how to overseed an existing lawn and how to pick the best wildflower mix. With this information, you can breathe some new life into your garden lawn and have it blooming with colour come spring.