Janey Goulding
With key crops already in pots and beds, or already being harvested, you might be thinking that there aren’t that many vegetables to plant in August. But in fact, there are some cracking edibles very well suited to summer plantings, with warmer temperatures and longer days contributing to quicker development times.
This is a great time to plant certain veggies in the garden to continue your growing season and extend the harvest well into fall. It’s your chance to plant both quick-growing vegetable garden ideas and those that do well maturing in the cooler conditions that fall will bring. Exactly what you can plant now, and how you plant, depends on your hardiness zone and first frost dates. Here are some of the most reliable and rewarding vegetable plants to plant in August.
Make sure your next crops have the best start with these Bonviee seed tray starter kits, complete with humidity controls and grow lights. Buy yours from Amazon.
Best Vegetables to Plant in August
There are a few different strategies for August vegetable planting. Before choosing vegetables to plant now, consider your climate, likely germination times, first frost dates, and maturity times. Check your USDA hardiness zone for recommended vegetables to grow, plus your local area for the first frost. Consider the following as a plan for your August veg sowings:
- Continuing Succession Plantings: Maybe you’ve been planting certain vegetables in succession all summer to get a continuous harvest. Carry on with these for one or two more harvests, depending on the type of vegetable and your first frost date.
- Planting Cool Weather Veggies: August is an ideal time to start vegetables that grow well in the cooler weather of fall. They’ll get a good start in the warmth of the August garden and be ready to harvest as the growing season comes to an end.
- Starting Vegetables with Short Maturity Times: There are plenty of fall crops to plant in August. This is a good time to start veggies that mature quickly to sneak in a harvest as the seasons shift into fall.
Look at the maturity times for veggies you’re interested in starting from seed in August. Choose those that will mature by (or before) your first frost. Alternatively, select cool season crops that will tolerate some frost or colder temperatures.
If August is very hot where you live and garden, prep the soil before planting, especially before planting cool weather veggies. Make sure the soil is wet and has some shade to cool it down a little for more heat-sensitive plants.
1. Beets
Many root vegetables grow well in the cooler weather of fall and will even taste better after frosts or freezes. Beets belong to this category and so make great crops to plant in August. When growing beets, sow seeds 8-12 weeks before your first frost date for a sweeter flavor and a mid or late fall harvest. Keep growing beets well watered in the last hot days of summer.
For an early maturing beet variety, try ‘Early Wonder’ or ‘Boltardy’ for its excellent heat tolerance for summer planting. An absolute delight to grow in August is heirloom ‘Chioggia’, available from Burpee, with its distinctive pink and white swirls. You can harvest the baby roots when they are a couple of inches in diameter, and you can also eat the greens like spinach.
2. Radishes
There are several good reasons to plant radishes toward the end of summer. Like many other root vegetables, they prefer cooler weather and will even have a better flavor when grown during the ‘shoulder season’. Radishes also have fast maturity times and are ideal for succession planting several times.
Radishes are some of the best vegetables to sow in August because they are amongst the fastest growing veggies, maturing in just 3-5 weeks. If you start sowing in August, you can probably get several additional harvests this year. Great varieties for August sowing include ‘French Breakfast’ and zesty ‘Cherry Belle’, available from Walmart.
When growing radish from seed at this time, don’t forget white varieties like ‘Daikon’ or ‘White Icicle’ from Everwilde, also available from Walmart, which develop quickly and tolerate warmer plantings.
3. Carrots
These root vegetables can take a bit of time to mature, but it’s worth the wait. Carrots, like many roots, taste better and sweeter after temperatures cool down. In many growing zones, it’s possible to seed in the garden now and enjoy a mid or late fall harvest of sweet, delicious roots.
When growing carrots, you’ll find that germination rates do drop in the heat. If your August weather is hot, cool the soil before sowing seeds by keeping it moist and shading it. Sow more seeds than you typically would to counteract the lower germination rate. Good carrot varieties for faster growing and fall harvests include ‘Romeo’ or ‘Scarlet Nantes’ from Tomorrow Seeds, available from Walmart, which can be harvested 60 days from sowing.
4. Spinach
Spinach also fits the bill for a crop that grows quickly and loves the cooler weather of fall, making it another of the best vegetables to plant in August. When August is very hot, you might struggle to get spinach going, but if the end of the month is starting to get a little cooler, go ahead and sow some spinach seeds. You can have baby greens in about four weeks and mature plants that won’t bolt in six to eight weeks.
Good spinach varieties to start in August include ‘Amazon’ and ‘Mikado’ as they are less likely to bolt in summer temperatures. If you do have warm weather and you are deciding what vegetables to plant in August, you should also try New Zealand or ‘Malabar’ spinach, available from Burpee, for both heat and humidity tolerance.
5. Swiss Chard
This is another green you can start growing now for a quick harvest. Baby greens will be ready to harvest in as little as four weeks, depending on the variety. It will only take about 60 days to get fully mature chard greens. Chard is also great for growing this time of year because it tolerates light frosts but also the heat of summer.
While your spinach might struggle to get going if the weather is still hot, chard will be just fine. One fine chard variety for August sowing is ‘Fordhook Giant’, a cool season classic for ‘cut and come again’ harvesting through fall. Another gorgeous looking option for a late summer planting is ‘Bright Lights’, available from Nature Hills, with its rainbow of stems which can be harvested until winter.
6. Broccoli and Cauliflower
Broccoli and cauliflower both have long maturity times, as long as 100 days. On the other hand, they are among the most cold tolerant vegetables. They tolerate frosts and even light to moderate freezes, including temperatures down to about 26 degrees Fahrenheit (-3°C).
They can still be planted now in many areas, even if they won’t mature before the first average frost. There are some delicious broccoli varieties available at Burpee that can be sown in August for an autumn harvest. These include heirloom ‘Waltham 29’ and tender purple ‘Sprouting Burgundy’ varieties. For succession sowings of cauliflower, try ‘All The Year Round’ and ‘Snowball Y’, also from Walmart.
7. Kale
Kale belongs to the same family of vegetables (brassicas) as broccoli and cauliflower, and has a similar cold tolerance. In fact, kale, which some people find too bitter, begins to sweeten after it experiences a frost or two. Maturity times for kale range from 50 to 80 days. Choose a variety that suits your growing zone and expected frost times. Be sure to choose the right type of kale for eating, too.
Cool season favorites include ‘Red Russian’ and ‘Cavalo Nero’ from Tomorrow Seeds, available at Walmart. Ornamental kales have become increasingly popular as fall decorations. These are fun to grow, and are edible, but won’t taste as good.
8. Herbs
Many herbs bolt in the heat of summer, so now is a good time to sow seeds for another batch, especially if you grow in containers. Most herbs don’t take long to grow enough leaves for harvesting. If you start them now, you should be able to enjoy a fall harvest of basil, cilantro, dill, and other herbs without worrying that they’ll bolt and become inedible.
There are some exquisite basil varieties available from Burpee that would make excellent options for August planting. ‘Genovese’ and ‘San Remo’ are easygoing and quick to develop, whilst ‘Emerald Towers’ is a great late summer sowing for containers, raised beds and small spaces. And if you love Cilantro, sowing some ‘Calypso’ from Burpee is a great option as it is the least likely to bolt in summer.
This article features products available from third party vendors on the Gardening Know How Shop. Keep in mind that our plant inventory is limited - so if you’re thinking of purchasing, don’t wait!
