What Vegetables to Plant in August

If you have been planting fast-maturing vegetables all summer, switch it up in August with cool season leafy crops like chard and spinach that continue to mature through fall when temperatures cool off.

Numerous varieties of these plants also tolerate light frost, making them ideal choices for fall harvests.

What Vegetables and Herbs Thrive When Planted in August?

By August, most vegetable gardeners are busy harvesting and tending to the plants they planted earlier this season. Yet August remains an ideal month to sow seeds for short-season vegetables, cool-season herbs and flowers that add vibrant color as the temperatures become colder.

Leafy greens such as lettuces, Swiss chard, arugula, and bok choy thrive when planted in August sowings. As days become shorter and temperatures decline quickly, they mature quickly for harvests in early autumn – also providing extra space in your garden when summer heat causes other veggies and herbs to bolt (send up seed stalks without producing leaves).

Spinach, another fast-growing vegetable that thrives in cool temperatures, will reach maturity within one month when planted in August. USDA Gardening Zones 2-7 provide ideal growing conditions, while its dark-green leaves make an ideal addition to salads, soups, and stews.

For fall and winter vegetable gardens, sow seeds for brassicas and root vegetables like kohlrabi, turnips, collards and kale in late August for optimal harvest conditions. They mature at temperatures suitable for most plants and can help extend your growing season into autumn and winter in many regions. However, these varieties require additional protection against the elements than crops like beets and carrots which take more time to produce edible roots.

U.S. Hardiness Zones

Though USDA plant hardiness zones help gardeners determine which vegetables can be grown in any particular region, they do not account for all environmental elements that could alter a crop’s health and viability. Such factors include wind speed and direction, soil type and moisture, duration of cold temperatures exposure and amount of sunlight an organism receives – all factors which could impede its success and viability.

Zones 3 through 7 typically experience hot climates and can support year-round crops like beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers and squash production. When selecting seed varieties for these areas it is essential to take other considerations into account such as their ability to withstand high levels of heat stress.

Zones 8-10 offer gardeners ideal conditions for cultivating cool-season vegetables such as arugula, broccoli, beets, carrots, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens okra peas radishes spinach turnips and zucchini. In such gardens succession sowing — sowing crops at regular intervals throughout the season so as to guarantee continual supply — extends growing seasons even into autumn; many varieties reach their peak flavor then! Succession sowing also extends growing seasons allowing gardeners to extend growing seasons even into fall allowing gardeners to extend growing seasons even further and extend growing seasons well into fall allowing gardeners to extend growing seasons well into autumn allowing gardeners to extend their growing seasons even further and extend growing seasons even into fall! It is worth trying this gardening strategy because many varieties reach their peak flavor come autumn.

Seed Varieties

August’s mild temperatures provide ideal conditions for planting another wave of leafy greens and root vegetables such as radishes, turnips, carrots and beets. Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi and broccoli also thrive during August; perhaps before even frost has occurred!

Leafy greens such as Swiss chard and collards should be planted in August for harvest in autumn. By sowing seeds in a sunny location and providing consistent watering, as well as regularly thinning out seedlings, an abundant harvest should ensue.

Bush beans are another cooling-weather vegetable that thrives during August. Most varieties mature before frost appears – for the best harvest potential sow “Waltham 29” and “Sprouting Burgundy” from Burpee for best results.

Kale and cabbage both thrive in August’s mild temperatures, producing an abundant harvest in two or three months with proper sunlight exposure and watering schedule. Doing this will guarantee tender sweet leaves as well as a vigorous plant.

Many hardy flowering plants flourish during the heat of summer, from perennials like Rudbeckia, Echinacea and Salvias to annuals such as Sunflowers, Sweet Peas, Japanese Anemones and Pansies (Centaurea Cyanus). Sown their seeds directly in soil or potted in August for spring blooms either directly into soil or pots.

Soil Prep Tips

A successful vegetable garden begins with fertile, rich soil brimming with essential nutrients. To give your veggies every chance of flourishing, make sure your soil has been carefully prepared before planting in August by loosening and tilling, testing its acidity or alkalinity level, then adding lime, nitrogen, phosphorous or potassium as required based on results from your pH test.

If you’re planning to grow cool-season vegetables like spinach and kale in August, it may be beneficial to add an organic compost layer before sowing seeds. This will ensure the seeds germinate quickly so you’re able to harvest your crops before temperatures turn cooler and fall gardening starts. Cool season crops that tolerate frost or freeze conditions such as beets make for excellent August planting – they mature quickly while providing tasty treats as the season transitions into fall gardening! August is also an ideal time for sowing spinach seeds which will take four weeks before being ready for harvest before frost arrives!

Watering Strategies

August provides gardeners with an ideal opportunity to gather fresh herbs and leafy greens, enjoy juicy tomatoes straight off the vine, and create homemade pickles. August also presents gardeners with an opportunity to begin sowing seeds for fall crops to keep the garden producing through cold weather as well as plan ahead for spring flowers and bulbs.

Late summer heat makes it challenging for garden plants to maintain healthy growth and full production, leading to insufficient watering or overfertilizing which leads to reduced crop performance, lessened plant health and an increase in disease and pest problems.

For optimal growth in vegetable and herb gardens, try watering less frequently but more deeply. Vegetables require deep irrigation that penetrates to their root systems in order to reach essential nutrients, while frequent and shallow irrigation could suffocate their roots, keeping them above ground level instead of in the rich earth below.

Regular weeding and inspection for insects will require your attention this month, along with regular watering of your garden by someone other than yourself if you plan to travel. To reduce the chance of losing your tools in tall grass or bushes, paint their handles a bright color or use surveyor’s tape to mark them so you don’t misplace them while out and about. Mulching can help cool soil temperatures while keeping moisture at a constant level in your garden soil.

Managing Heat Stress

Summer gardeners appreciate the fruits of their labors, whether feasting on fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from their vegetable patch or creating delicious homemade pickles from them. But August can bring challenges, particularly for heat-loving vegetables like tomatoes and okra.

To ensure that your vegetables, herbs and other plants thrive during arid climate conditions, ensure that they receive at least an inch of water weekly. A layer of mulch may also help retain soil moisture and minimize weed growth while decreasing fertilizer use on root zones.