Beijing in October: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, October in Beijing has run 8.3–18.1°C with about 40 mm of rain across the month. Here is what weather like that will carry to harvest.
Everything above is a five-year average. In the game it is this — the weather Beijing is actually having, today.
Grow one in Beijing's weather right now →❄️ No sub-zero nights in October in the last 5 years — frost is not the limiting factor here.
🗓️ This month sits inside the frost-free window. Average last spring frost around Mar 21, first autumn frost around Nov 11 — roughly 235 frost-free days. Sow tender crops after the last frost date and make sure they finish before the first.
☀️ About 7.5 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it cools by about 3.7°C from the first ten days to the last — the window for autumn sowings is opening.
Sow this month — when would you harvest?
Assuming you sow in mid-October, then adding up the warmth Beijing usually gets, one day at a time — which is why some of these run past the end of the month.
| Crop | Days | Harvest around |
|---|---|---|
| 🥬 Napa cabbage | 211 | May 13 |
| 🫘 Broad bean | 208 | May 10 |
| 🌿 Rocket | 171 | Apr 3 |
| ⚪ Turnip | 188 | Apr 20 |
⏳ Too late this month: Lettuce, Cauliflower, Peas, Cherry Radish, Daikon radish, Strawberry, Beetroot, Marigold would still be in the ground when the first frost arrives (around Nov 11). Sow them earlier in the year, or grow them under cover.
Best crops to sow now
They are all ideal for this month — the only real difference is how long each one takes, so pick whatever you want to eat.
- 🥗 Lettuce about 71 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Napa cabbage about 95 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Cauliflower about 104 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🫛 Peas about 76 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🫘 Broad bean about 93 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Rocket about 41 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- ⚪ Turnip about 59 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍒 Cherry Radish about 37 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- ⚪ Daikon radish about 79 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍓 Strawberry about 82 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🟣 Beetroot about 76 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🏵️ Marigold about 97 days to harvest Recent mean 13.2°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌶️ Okra — Recent mean 13.2°C is too cold (ideal 20–33°C)
- 🍈 Winter melon — Recent mean 13.2°C is too cold (ideal 18–32°C)
- 🥒 Luffa — Recent mean 13.2°C is too cold (ideal 18–33°C)
Other months in Beijing
📍 Somewhere else? Look up your own city →
Temperature and rainfall come from Open-Meteo's historical observations for Beijing, averaged day by day over the last 5 years. Whether a crop finishes in time is worked out from its own starting temperature and heat requirement — those numbers are listed on each crop page if you want to check them.