Activities in your vegetable garden in August are a combination of planting vegetables to ensure that you have a supply of vegetables through the autumn and winter and also planting winter vegetables that will be ready to harvest in the Spring. So you’re looking at vegetables that will crop quickly for Autumn as well as those that will bring some vitamins to your diet during the winter months. There is, to a certain extent, a race against time, you’ll need to get some of the vegetables planted and sown, as if you leave it until September, then the plants won’t have grown enough to survive the winter. Here’s our guide to what vegetables to plant in August.
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What Vegetables to Plant in August UK climate
August is a great time in the vegetable garden – you’ll be into a rhythm of succession sowing, and harvesting and now you’ll be ready with some space to get some autumn cropping and winter harvesting vegetables into the ground. There’s a good variety of vegetables to grow in August, however, we also recommend chilling out and having a relax. Don’t forget if you’re taking a holiday to leave someone in charge of making sure your garden is watered and with a list of things to do!
Sow Cabbage Seeds In August
August vegetables to plant are in the main those that you want to harvest NEXT Spring. In August you can sow spring cabbage outdoors. Cabbage is a great winter vegetable to plant in August, it means that your cabbage will get a good start and have decent roots which will help them to resist bad weather and frosts over the winter. We recommend using netting to keep pigeons and other pests off them! These are an awesome option for cabbage seeds.
You can grow mushrooms all year including in August
Homegrown mushrooms are fabulous. Great to harvest when you’re ready and so easy to grow. Mushrooms can be grown all year round if you use a mushroom growing kit, – they’re the easiest way to grow your own mushrooms. We started with plain white mushrooms (this is a fabulous starter kit here), but you can also grow chestnut mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms. Give it a go! Here are our favourite kits for mushroom growing if you’re a beginner.
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This excellent Mushroom Growing kit from the folks at Merryhill Mushrooms is the perfect starter mushroom growing kit and it’s so easy to get started with full instructions
Final Chance in August to Sow Chard
We haven’t touched on chard yet as it tends not to be a beginner vegetable to grow, but if you’re itching to get started growing something different besides the basic UK vegetables then we recommend chard. Chard is a great veg to sow in August to give yourself a good autumn harvest. We recommend these seeds for growing chard.
Sow Chicory in August
Chicory is a hardy vegetable and you can sow chicory from February to September – so get on planting in August and you’ll get a good crop during the winter months. It’ll likely be better to start the seeds inside or in a propagator and then plant them out into a sunny spot in the garden once they’re a little more established.
Yes you can plant Lettuce & Salad Leaves in August
Lettuce and Salad leaves, especially wild rocket are great for sowing in August. Some lettuces are particularly hardy and can be grown throughout the winter, and picked as leaves from April to June. If you sow lettuce in August you’ll be able to harvest it in April.
Top Pick of Rocket, Lettuce and Salad Leaf Seeds to Grow
Get a sowing of rocket in August and you’ll get heaps of rocket leaves in Autumn. Wild rocket that’s sown in early August will give you leaves at the end of the month and salad rocket will continue producing until October! We love this Mesclun mix which has kept us going all summer.
Salad leaves, are I think our favourite vegetables you can plant in August, I just love how quickly they grow and the freshness is amazing.
Sow Late Spinach in August
Spinach is particularly hardy – and it can survive rain and even hard frost. Not something I imagine you think about when considering what to plant in August in the vegetable garden! Spinach leaves that grow over the winter months tend to produce lovely sweet leaves. Our Spinach Perpetual is going great guns > buy some here. If you sow spinach in the first half of August then you’ll be harvesting in November and likely will also get a crop in March. Read more about growing spinach in our guide here.
Sow Spring onions in August for an April harvest
Get spring onions into the ground at the end of August and you’ll be harvesting in early April. You’ll want to get them about 2 centimetres into the soil for the best results My guide to growing onions is here. They don’t do well in warmer temperatures, so only plant seeds outdoors. If this is a particularly warm month, then spring onions aren’t a veg to plant in August and you’ll want to wait until it cools a little. > Get your Spring Onion Seeds here!
What Jobs to do in the Vegetable Garden in August
August is a great month to plant quick cropping vegetables to give you fresh veg during Autumn. It’s also a good month to be sowing seeds for an early spring harvest. You’ll also want to pay attention to a few jobs that will need doing in the vegetable garden during August.
Harvesting during August
If you’ve been succession sowing vegetables since earlier in the year you’ll want to keep harvesting – for many vegetables regular harvesting ensures that they continue to crop, so keep harvesting and you’ll get better results. Harvest vegetables as soon as they are ripe. Most vegetables are best when they’re young and fresh – don’t let the courgettes become huge, or the tomatoes become overripe. If you end up with a glut of courgettes, tomatoes, or other vegetables and fruits, then get practising your jamming and chutney making skills – our guide here helps you with more!
Leaving fruits and vegetables on the plant can reduce the crop that you get, harvest regularly and often and your plants will produce more. If you’ve got more than enough for your own use why not set up a swap, or give away your produce to friends, family, and neighbours.
Keep Watering Your Vegetables in August
Regular watering is key during the hot months of the year and August is no exception. Watering on a night once the heat of the sun has gone is best. Aim to water, in general, the soil at the base of the plant, rather than the leaves, as the sun can cause the leaves to burn.
Don’t forget to add to your compost in August!
Once you’ve picked your fruit and vegetables and sorted out any weeds, then put all of the healthy leaves into your compost bin. If anything looks like it has disease then do not put it in the compost.
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When you buy a compost bin you can one thats quick to compost, easy to use and keep clean and a great deal. This is the best compost bin that meets all those requirements.
What Vegetables to Harvest in August
Vegetables that will be ready to harvest in August include courgettes (always!), cucumbers, onions, garlic, French beans. Tomatoes and sweetcorn will also be ready. Aim to eat your sweetcorn as soon as you pick it and you’ll never buy another corn cob from the shop again!
When it comes to root vegetables, in general, it’s best to only harvest what you’re going to use as they tend to store better in the ground for some time.
All our monthly vegetable planting guides
- What vegetables to plant in January
- What vegetables to plant in February
- What vegetables to plant in March
- What vegetables to plant in April
- What vegetables to plant in May
- What vegetables to plant in June
- What vegetables to plant in July
- What vegetables to plant in August
- What vegetables to plant in September
- What vegetables to plant in October
- What vegetables to plant in November
- What vegetables to plant in December
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Final words on what vegetables to plant in August
While you’ll be harvesting herbs and vegetables that you planted earlier in the year during August, this month is also a great time to get started planting what you’ll want to harvest in the spring months. We hope this guide to what veg to plant in August is useful, let us know in the comments what you do in the garden in August! There’s also the opportunity in August to plant quick cropping vegetables that will give you a burst of fresh vegetables in the autumn months and even some that you can eat during winter.
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