What To Plant in August

Thinking about fall gardening this year? This post tells you exactly what to plant in August based on your area.

It’s officially the end of summer, and the kids are in school. So are you gardening?

I know, spring is when we get all excited about gardening, but fall gardening? Guys, It’s the BEST!

My absolute favorite thing is growing greens right up until it starts freezing at night with NO BUG SPOTS because in fall, there are so many fewer pests.

Here in Texas, we have a long summer, so we’re not actually even thinking about planting greens yet – that won’t come for another month or so – but we are planning more summer squash and green beans. Gotta keep those summer veggies coming as long as possible!

(P.S. the difference between what we would naturally eat from one area to the next if we all lived strictly from local produce is so fascinating to me!).

So without further ado, here’s what you can plant in August based on your plant hardiness zone. Scroll down to find yours!

What to Plant in Zones 3-4

Seedling transplanting (from things you planted in June):

• Broccoli
• Brokali
• Cabbage
• Chinese Cabbage
• Garlic

Direct Sow:

• Arugula
• Beets
• Brussels Sprouts
• Carrots
• Chinese Cabbage
• Collards
• Endive
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Mesclun
• Microgreens
• Mustard
• Parsnips
• Peas
• Salad Greens
• Spinach
• Swiss Chard
• Turnips

What to Plant in Zones 5-6

Indoor sowing:

• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower

Fall Direct Sow:

• Arugula
• Beets
• Carrots
• Endive
• Kale
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Mesclun
• Microgreens
• Mustard
• Onions
• Parsnips
• Radicchio
• Radish
• Salad Greens
• Swiss Chard
• Turnips

What to Plant in Zones 7-8

Fall indoors sowing:

• Arugula
• Asian Greens
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Lettuce
• Salad Greens
• Swiss Chard

Fall Direct Sowing:

• Arugula

What to Plant in Zones 9-10

Fall Indoor Sowing until the 15th:

• Tomatoes

Starting August 20:

• Asian Greens
• Broccoli
• Brokali
• Cauliflower
• Collards
• Kale
• Leeks

That’s it, you’ll probably notice this list looks a lot different from what you might plant in March for some zones, but for others, almost identical. Pretty cool! 

In some zones, such as 8-10, you may be able to garden straight through the winter. Here in zone 7 we can even grow a lot all winter long if we use some row cover, but we really like to scale back and often, stop completely for a while. Partly to nip any potential burnout in the bud, but also to use the winter to get our soil, and get our garden ready for spring. 

There are some things, like growing strawberries, garlic, and onions, that you almost have to grow through the winter, but they’re really low maintenance, since they’re not producing fruit and weeds aren’t really growing during the winter. 

Happy gardening!