12 Vegetables You Can Still Plant in August + Get A Fall Harvest

Funny story. My friend and I were texting, she was at a garden centre looking for more vegetable seedlings because she needed to replace some due to soil problems so she asked the worker for help… He replies: “Don’t bother trying to fix it, do it next spring. Your season is over.”  ​

Can you believe that!? Very discouraging! You can always amend your soil (which is my blog post next week!!). I think by the time August comes around most people feel they can’t start anything new because the season is almost over and partly because most garden centres are sold out of everything and are starting to display fall mums. But there is hope! You can still plant in August and I’ll tell you what you can plant, for success! It won’t be tomatoes or cucumbers, but there are lots of veggies you can plant now for a fall harvest.

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What To Plant From Seed

These are the plants you can directly sow into the ground and get a return before the frost comes.

Garlic
This is the time to plant garlic, planting in the late summer/early fall will allow for a spring harvest, which is the usual. Use seed garlic, (which is essentially cloves that you plant in the ground). This one requires you to be patient since it’s not a quick harvest, but well worth the wait.

Kale
Kale loves cool weather. So plant now and you will be harvesting well past September. Who doesn’t love kale? There are tons you can do with it (kale chips are a favourite).

Radish
You will see these long before fall with their 21 day harvest time, these are a no brainer to keep on the succession planting rotation! There are also so many fun varieties to experiment with: watermelon radion, breakfast radish, etc. If you are planting at the beginning of August, select varieties that tolerate the heat.


Peas
You may thing that peas love the heat, but that’s beans! Peas actually prefer cooler weather. So plant now and they will be happy to grow as the summer heat leaves us. Early maturing varieties are best… and you can freeze the abundance going into winter.

Arugula
This was made for the cooler weather. If you plant now it should be well established by fall. Arugula is so versatile - salads, soups, pizza, etc.

Carrots
Did you know carrots actually get sweeter if they’ve been left in the ground during a frost? Keep these on the succession planting rotation as well. Choose varieties that store well so you can keep them over winter.

Spinach
​Spinach is the same as kale. It’s a cool-weather crop. This is a great green to go into winter with an abundance of. Freeze it and use it for soups, smoothies, stirfry, etc.

Lettuce
Plant cool tolerant lettuces (one of my favs is by Baker Creek Seeds ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’ because it takes forever to bolt it the heat and can tolerate the cold, oh and it taste delicious. 

What To Plant From Seedlings

If you have been on top of your game (I haven’t) you would have started the below seeds inside your house, under grow lights weeks ago and have them hardened off and ready to go outside so you can harvest these during the late fall/winter. I know we all don’t have time for that, so try and call some speciality garden centres to ask if they have seedlings of the below plants. But since these vegetables take so long to mature, starting them from a seedling gives them a head start.

Cabbage
Cabbage tends to take a long time to harvest, but are cold-loving so planting in August is a perfect time. Think soups and sauerkraut. 

Broccoli
These have a relatively quick growing time, I have already harvested one round of broccoli, so another is definitely not out of the question if started from a seedling. I dare you to find a variety with a short nature time and plant directly in the ground and see what happens! Gardening is all about experimenting.

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Leeks
I’ll admit I planted my leeks in July one year and harvested them well into late November. They love the cold!

Brussel Sprouts
Same with brussel sprouts, planted from a seedling gives that little extra helping hand. And they can stay out in the snow - cool right?

Well, I’d love to hear what you are planning to plant this August!! Let me know in the comments.  Also, don’t forget to grab a copy of your garden ebook freebie below!

Talk soon,
Abbagail

ARE YOU PLANNING YOUR GARDEN RIGHT NOW?

Claim your free Quick Start Planting Guide to know what to plant each season, and whether to direct seed or transplant.

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.