25 Herbs to Plant in Autumn
With fall fast approaching, I have been spending a lot of time getting the garden ready for the season; planting out fall-sown seeds for veggies and herbs and flowers and cleaning up things that are starting to go dormant or die back. Fall is my favorite time of year and after a busy spring and summer, I always look forward to the promise of the restful days ahead.
As I was making my list of seeds I need to get in the ground in the next couple weeks, I thought it might be useful to share part of it with you in case you would like to plan for your own garden too! There are many herbs that need a period of cold stratification in order to germinate in the spring and I have found that the easiest way to stratify them for me is to just direct sow them where I want them to grow next year.
You can also stratify seeds in the refrigerator, but it can be so much easier to let nature do the work instead if you are able. I have found that my germination rates when I direct sow seeds outdoors are often just as good as if I had stratified them in the refrigerator, so it is my go-to method of stratification now.
Here are 25 herbs you can direct sow in your garden now for germination in the spring.
Echinacea
E. angustifolias, E. purpureas and ornamental cultivars can all be sown in flats outdoors or direct sown now for spring germination.
Violets
I am admittedly violet obsessed. I think I scattered at least 18 packets of seed throughout my garden last winter so they would come up all over the place. Whether you love them as much as I do or just want to have a few in a certain area of your garden, now is a good time to sow their seeds for spring germination.
Elderberries
Elderberries can be direct sown into a part of the garden where you would like them to come up next year. If you live in an area with a wet winter, you can even sow the dried berries and let the rain water soak them. If you have dry winters, though, you will want to soak the berries in water for a day (or overnight) before sowing.
Chives
Chives like to grow in parts of the garden that get a lot of water throughout the growing season. I like to spread chive seeds in the corners of my raised beds to help deter harmful pests from my other herbs + veggies in spring and summer.
Rosemary
Sow seeds in flats or directly where you would like them to grow in spring. You can also take cuttings and root them in a greenhouse or on a warm, sunny windowsill until they are ready to plant out in spring.
Lady's Mantle
I like to grow this sweet plant in a shady spot in the garden. It seems to do much better there than in full sun areas. Direct sow seeds now for spring germination.
Milkweed
All varieties can be direct sown or sown in flats now for spring germination. Try growing the swan plant variety! It is one of my favorites.
St. John's Wort
Scatter seeds in your garden now for spring germination. Some states do not permit growing this plant because it is on their noxious weed lists, so make sure to check your local laws before sowing. (You will often be able to tell - if seed companies will not ship it to your state, you probably cannot grow it there.)
Mullein
Common mullein, Greek mullein and ornamental mulleins can all be direct sown now for germination in late winter to early spring.
Lavender
Lavender can be direct sown or sown in flats. Seeds are not true to the parent plants, so if you are hoping for a specific variety, it is better to source a rooted cutting or a mature plant from a grower. If you are not picky, though, try growing some from seed.
Comfrey
Fall is a great time to plant roots and rhizomes of plants. Our woodland medicinals are good examples of these, but comfrey is also an excellent choice. Make sure you give it plenty of space because these plants grow wide and are prone to spreading. I prefer to grow mine in an area away from other edible plants because research has now shown that the leaves can deposit pyrrolizidine alkaloids into the soil and that those PA’s can then be uptaken by other plants growing in the same area and thus contaminate your other herbal remedies.
Astragalus
Astragalus likes full sun and often needs a little extra boost when it is getting started, so sow accordingly and make sure to use some liquid seaweed concentrate and when you are ready to transplant the seeds, mix some starter fertilizer into the soil before you water in the seeds.
California Poppy
California poppies were my state flower growing up, and I still love finding them growing wild. They are a delight in the garden, too and now is a great time to scatter their seeds.
Horehound
Horehound is such a low maintenance plant. Sow the seeds in a dry-ish part of the garden where the plants will receive full sun and you will hardly have to tend to them at all throughout the season.
Fennel
This is a pollinator favorite in our garden. While you can sow the seeds in early spring, you can also sow them now where you would like them to come up in the spring.
Catnip and Catmints
Catmints are always buzzing with pollinators and the catnip attracts our neighbor's furry friends as well. Sow it in a part of the garden where your other plants will not be bothered if your neighborhood felines find it. I have found cat-sized indents in our patch.
Motherwort
They can be a little bit slow to get started, but sowing motherwort seeds in the fall has been more successful than spring sowing for me. Sow in compostable pots and graduate up as they grow or direct sow where you would like them to grow.
Feverfew
If you are already growing feverfew, it is likely that volunteers will sprout up where they would like to grow in your garden so you may not even need to plant more. Sow seeds for this pretty evergreen on the surface of the soil - do not cover them - as they need light to sprout.
Hyssop
Hyssop seeds might benefit from a quick scarification prior to planting. Sow directly where you would like them to grow or in flats to transplant out in spring.
Self Heal
Sow seeds underneath taller plants and your self heal will happily come up and keep your soil covered throughout the growing season. This plant also likes to grow in the lawn, so if you are cultivating an herbal lawn, scatter some seeds throughout.
Red Clover
Often co-planted with oats, red clover can also be grown on its own. Scatter seeds where you would like them to grow. The seedlings will keep the soil covered in late winter (at least in milder climates) and early spring before anything else has really started to grow yet. Can be mowed under in spring before planting out your spring garden or can be left to flower in the summer.
Marshmallow
Marshmallow is like the teddy bear of the garden. It has the sweetest blooms and its foliage is so unbelievably soft. Sow seeds in spring or in flats in fall. Scarify with sandpaper or freshly boiled water to increase germination rates.
Yarrow
Direct sow yarrow now to see seedlings coming up before spring. Fall-sown yarrow will often flower in the spring or summer of its first year of life. Late fall is also a great time to divide existing plants.
Garlic
Fall-sown garlic can be planted and mulched now for a spring to summer harvest next year. I like to plant garlic along the edges of my other raised beds to deter harmful pests from my herbs and veggies throughout the growing seasons.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus seeds can be slow to get going, but sowing them now in peat pots and protecting them from frost will encourage healthy sprouts in the spring.
About the Author
Hi there, I’m Erin! I am the main instructor here at Floranella. I am a clinical herbalist, aromatherapist, artisan distiller and organic gardener based in the Pacific Northwest. Here at Floranella, I teach people how to work with plants safely and effectively from the garden to the apothecary. Thanks for being here! I’m glad you stopped by.
