[Video] 5 Things to Plant In August

Keep your garden going into the cooler months with these 5 tasty crops to plant in August!

As summer begins to wind down, it can be tempting to think that the gardening season is coming to an end. But experienced gardeners know that late summer is actually an important time to get more seeds in the ground!

If you want to keep harvesting fresh vegetables well into autumn—and perhaps even beyond—there’s still plenty you can sow right now.

In this helpful video from GrowVeg, you’ll discover why late summer is the perfect time to break open those seed packets and make the most of the remaining growing season.

There’s Still Time to Sow!

By August, many of our spring-planted crops are reaching the end of their productive lives. Peas have finished, lettuce may have bolted, and early crops such as radishes and carrots may already have been harvested.

That doesn’t mean your garden needs to sit empty.

In fact, the warm soil and shortening days can create ideal conditions for a new round of crops. Many vegetables grow quickly enough to produce a worthwhile harvest before cold weather arrives, while others can continue growing into the cooler months.

This is one of the easiest ways to extend your growing season without adding a lot of extra work.

What Can You Sow in Late Summer?

The exact crops you can plant will depend on your climate, first frost date and growing conditions, but late summer is often a great time to sow cool-season vegetables such as:

• Lettuce and other salad greens
• Spinach
• Radishes
• Carrots
• Beets
• Swiss chard
• Kale
• Collard greens
• Mustard greens
• Asian greens
• Turnips
• Peas, where conditions allow

Some of these crops mature surprisingly quickly, making them particularly useful for filling spaces left behind by harvested summer vegetables.

Others, such as kale, spinach and certain hardy greens, can continue producing well into fall.

Make the Most of Empty Garden Space

One of the biggest advantages of late-summer sowing is that you don’t necessarily need additional garden beds.

As summer crops finish producing, pull out plants that are no longer productive and use those spaces for your next round of vegetables.

For example, an area that held early peas or lettuce can become home to fall carrots or salad greens. Once garlic or onions are harvested, you may have another opportunity to squeeze in a quick-growing crop.

This approach—often called succession sowing—allows you to harvest more food from the same garden space throughout the year.

Pay Attention to Your First Frost Date

When deciding what to sow, one of the most important pieces of information to know is your area’s average first frost date.

Look at how many days a particular vegetable needs to mature and compare that with the amount of growing time you have remaining.

Don’t forget that vegetables grown for their leaves can often be harvested before they reach full maturity. Baby kale, young spinach and small salad leaves can provide delicious harvests even when you don’t have enough time for the plants to reach their maximum size.

And some crops actually prefer cooler weather.

Rather than struggling through the heat of midsummer, cool-season vegetables often become sweeter and more productive as temperatures moderate.

Keep Watering Those New Seeds

Late-summer sowing does come with one important challenge: water.

August can bring hot temperatures and dry soil, and newly sown seeds need consistent moisture to germinate successfully.

Keep an eye on newly planted areas and water whenever necessary. A light layer of mulch can also help retain moisture and keep the soil from drying out as quickly.

Once seedlings emerge, continue monitoring them carefully until their root systems become established.

A little extra attention during those first few weeks can make the difference between a successful fall crop and a patch of disappointing bare soil.

Don’t Forget About Your Fall Garden

One of the most rewarding things about gardening is realizing that the season doesn’t have to end when summer does!

With a little planning, your garden can transition seamlessly from summer vegetables into a fresh crop of fall favorites.

And you don’t necessarily need a huge garden to do it. A few rows of salad greens, a handful of radishes or a small patch of spinach can provide fresh harvests when many summer gardens are winding down.

So before you put away your gardening gloves for the year, take another look at your seed collection.

There may still be plenty of growing to do!

In this video, Ben from GrowVeg takes a closer look at late-summer sowing and the crops you can plant now to keep those harvests coming through autumn and beyond:

Late summer isn’t the end of the gardening season—it’s simply time to start thinking about what’s next.

Now, break open those seed packets, fill those empty spaces and keep growing!