What to plant in October in Portugal
9 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in October in Portugal, for the climate around Central Portugal, Santarem district (lat 39, lon -9).
Climate: Mild Mediterranean climate with cool, damp winters (coldest nights around 2-6 °C, rare light frost), hot dry summers with highs near 39 °C, and almost no rain from June to September, so summer beds need irrigation.
Vegetables
Lettuce Lactuca sativa
Mild winters and cool autumns let lettuce grow in two seasons, and it bolts in the heat of summer.
Harvest: 45-65 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Onion Allium cepa
Autumn-planted sets or transplants mature in the long dry early summer, which helps bulbs cure.
Harvest: 120-180 daysEasyCare guide →
Garlic Allium sativum
Cold, wet winters are exactly what garlic needs to form bulbs before the dry summer.
Harvest: 200-240 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Broad bean Vicia faba
Hardy in the cool, wet winter and cropping before the summer dry spell.
Harvest: 90-120 daysEasy
Fruits
Strawberry Fragaria × ananassa
Cool winters and spring warmth give sweet berries, and plants are set out in autumn or early spring.
Harvest: 90-120 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Herbs
Parsley Petroselinum crispum
Hardy through the mild winter and productive in cool spring and autumn.
Harvest: 70-90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Rosemary Salvia rosmarinus
Native to dry Mediterranean hillsides, it thrives on the summer drought and mild winters.
Harvest: 90-120 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Thyme Thymus vulgaris
Drought-hardy and happy in hot, sunny, well-drained spots, surviving the local winter easily.
Harvest: 90-120 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Coriander Coriandrum sativum
Prefers cool weather and bolts in summer heat, so it is best sown in spring and autumn.
Harvest: 40-60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →