Recommendation for mouthwatering homegrown yields during winter and spring: Consider planting these 7 simple vegetables in August.
August is an ideal time to expand your vegetable garden and ensure a bountiful harvest throughout the colder months. Here are some fast-growing, cool-weather crops that thrive when planted in August:
Leafy Greens such as kale, spinach, and lettuce (bolt-resistant varieties are best) are perfect for August planting. These greens will produce through fall into mild winter. For kale, the best tactic is to sow seeds into module trays or individual pots and start them off in a greenhouse, cold frame, or on a bright windowsill.
Root vegetables like radishes, carrots, beets, and turnips can be sown directly in August. Radishes mature quickly (about 4-6 weeks), while carrots and beets take around 2-3 months. Turnips can be sown in August for harvesting and storing around October.
Brassicas including broccoli and Chinese/Napa cabbage will establish well when seeded in August and mature by fall or early winter.
Swiss chard, a cold-tolerant vegetable, can be planted now for a harvest extending well into the cooler months.
For hot August weather, heat-tolerant varieties like New Zealand or Malabar spinach are recommended.
To ensure success, start cool-weather crops from seed in August to have established transplants by early fall. Keep seedbeds moist, and if soil is hot, shade it to improve germination, especially for root crops and spinach. Succession plantings can extend harvest windows, such as sowing radishes throughout August until just before frost.
Mizuna, a fast-growing vegetable crop, can be sown directly into the soil in August, scattering the seeds thinly in drills a half-inch deep and keeping rows six inches apart. Mizuna 'Red Streaks', a fast-growing green and red leafed variety, can be sown in August and harvested as baby greens or mature leaves.
Taking proactive steps to plant crops for the weeks and months ahead is important to ensure continued harvest. For example, you can sow spring cabbages in summer to harvest the following spring. If you want an even earlier crop, immature spring cabbages can be cut as nutritious spring greens in February.
Bok choy, also known as pak choi or Chinese cabbage, is a vegetable popular in many Asian dishes and can be sown in August for a fall harvest of sweet, peppery leaves. Kale is a very hardy vegetable to overwinter, and you can get tasty and nutritious harvests of this easy superfood to grow throughout the colder months from a sowing this month.
Finally, August is a good month to plant vegetables for late fall, winter, and spring harvests. Net the plants to protect them from pests, and you should harvest the cabbages in March or early April. Enjoy the bounty of your garden all year round!
[1] RHS Vegetable Planner (2021). Retrieved from https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=650 [2] RHS Vegetable Planner (2021). Retrieved from https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=649 [3] RHS Vegetable Planner (2021). Retrieved from https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=651 [4] RHS Vegetable Planner (2021). Retrieved from https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=648 [5] RHS Vegetable Planner (2021). Retrieved from https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=647
- To extend your home-and-garden lifestyle through the colder months, consider planting fast-growing, cool-weather crops like leafy greens, root vegetables, brassicas, and quick-growing vegetables such as mizuna and Swiss chard in August.
- If you're a fan of home-and-garden lifestyle and enjoy gardening, don't forget to sow seeds for spring cabbages in the summer for an early harvest the following spring, or plant vegetables like bok choy in August for a fall harvest of sweet, peppery leaves.
