August is a great time to start planting in your garden! Don’t believe me? Trust me, you can still start your garden this month! Planting in August will allow you to have a yummy crop into the fall and early winter!
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This article is specifically for those of you living in zones 7 & 8. If you aren’t sure what your garden zone is you can follow this link to find out!
Not in zones 7 or 8? Check out our articles on zones 3 & 4, 5 & 6, or 9 & 10.
Planting in August: Tips
It’s important to remember to keep an eye on what the first frost date is in your area. If you don’t know what it is, just do a quick Google search and figure out when you can expect the first frost to be in your area. This is important because you’re going to base your planting times off of this date! When you are planting in August you will want to plant crops 6-8 weeks before your first frost. This will give these crops time to either be ready to harvest or be established enough to handle cooler temperatures. Alright! Let’s get started! Here is my list of crops you can plant in August in zones 7 & 8.
Planting in August: Zone 7
Peas
You can plant peas in August! We love peas around here, so I always try to plant some peas for a fall harvest. It’s important to remember that a fall planting won’t be as productive as a spring planting. Peas planted in the fall will produce about ½ of the harvest you could expect in the spring with the same number of plants. They also require a little bit more work than a spring planting, but we find that it is well worth it. If you are planning on planting peas this month make sure you check out my article on growing peas in the fall. There are tons of tips on how to get a yummy fall harvest of peas!
Spinach
Spinach is one of my favorite crops to grow in the fall and winter. With a little bit of protection during the colder months from a cold frame or hoop house, you can harvest spinach throughout the winter. If you plant spinach in August you should be able to start harvesting in mid-October.
Swiss Chard
Swiss Chard is a great fall and winter plant because it’s very hardy. Early plantings will give you a harvest in the fall and early winter, whereas later plantings will give you an early spring harvest if you protect them with a cold frame or hoop house. Similar to spinach, it overwinters well in a cold frame or hoop house, so you’ll be able to harvest smaller leaves throughout the winter.
Beets
Beets are another great fall crop. They’re packed with nutrients and they’re a delicious addition to any garden. You can check out my planting guide on beets here: Growing Beets in Your Garden
Broccoli
Broccoli is another one of our favorite crops to grow! You can plant broccoli in your garden this month for a yummy fall harvest!
Carrots
Carrots are one of my favorite fall/winter crops. The cooler weather makes them taste so much sweeter! One of my favorite varieties is called Little Finger. I have a ton of information about growing carrots in the fall and winter in this article: Growing Winter & Fall Carrots
Lettuce
Yum! We love lettuce around here. Start planting lettuce about 8 weeks before your first frost date. You can even continue planting until as close as two weeks before your first frost date if you have cold frames! The later plantings can be overwintered in cold frames for an early spring harvest. I personally avoid planting head lettuces in the fall and stick with leaf lettuces. Here are some of the varieties we have tried:
You can learn more here: Growing Lettuce in the Fall and Winter
Arugula
Arugula is a peppery tasting green that adds a yummy taste to salads! Give it a try this month!
Other crops you can try planting in August:
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Radishes
- Parsnips
- Claytonia (plant at the end of the month)
- Mache (plant at the end of the month)
- Endive
- Turnips
- Mizuna
- Sorrel
Planting in August: Zone 8
If you live in zone 8 you can plant the same crops that are listed above in zone 7. However, you are going to want to wait until the middle or end of August before you plant these crops!
I hope you enjoyed this guide for planting in August! Were there any crops that I missed? What will you be planting this month?
August Planting Guide: Zones 3 & 4
Great site!
I live in Eastern South Carolina, near Hilton Head Island. My poor potatoes have been planted for about one month and they have started growing and seem to have just stopped. Same thing has happened with my carrots. What am I doing wrong?
Never had this problem in Michigan.
Thank you for all of your wonderful info!
Connie in Bluffton
Connie, I think you might be experiencing the difference between the two zones. I would think it is too hot for carrots in SC this time of year. They are more of a cool-season crop. Potatoes too may be struggling with the heat in SC. I think normally you would be planting them in March or April there.
Okay, thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.
Thank you for this simple breakdown! I’m a new gardener and I’m excited to try my first time with fall veggies this year!
For fall planting, do you direct sow seeds or grow starts to plant?
For Cabbage family plants I do starts. Everything else gets planted by seed.
Do we plant indoors and then transfer or plant directly in ground in greenhouse? Thank you!
Broccoli family crops you would plant indoors first, but earlier (like June). the rest can go directly out into the garden.
I planted 3 to 4 broccoli seeds and spaced it 16 inches apart. My Mother in law said always to plant that many seeds in case it doesn’t germinate. Was this wrong? Should I have only done 1 or 2. And what is the best way to separate the seeds because they are so tiny. Thanks
In fact mine is a question. When you say plant, does that include sowing?
The cabbage family would be planted by transplants. All others would be started by sowing directly in the garden on your target date, or if you don’t have room then started indoors first.