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August planting calendar

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What to plant in August

Harvest peak month plus fall succession planting. Zones 3-7 sow autumn greens and brassica transplants. Zones 8-10 start the second tomato crop and order garlic.

Universal August tasks

These tasks apply to most temperate gardens across the US and UK in August. Check the per-zone sections below for the specific crops to plant in your zone.

UK gardeners — August

August is harvest peak and the gateway to autumn. Sow spring cabbage, winter lettuce, spinach, salad onions, and overwintering varieties of broad beans and peas. Harvest sweetcorn, tomatoes, beans, courgettes, soft fruit, and main-crop potatoes.

Most of England and Wales falls in RHS H4-H5 (roughly USDA 7-8). Scotland skews cooler (H3-H4); coastal southwest skews warmer (H5). See UK hardiness ratings →

August planting by USDA zone

Pick your USDA zone for the full crop-by-crop list for August. Each zone page includes sowing, transplanting, harvesting, and maintenance actions.

Zone 3 — August

4 actions
  • Sow outdoors: Fall salad, spinach, radishes, kale, lettuce
  • Harvest: Tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, carrots, beets, herbs
  • Prep & plan: Order garlic for September planting

See full zone 3 plan →

Zone 4 — August

4 actions
  • Sow outdoors: Fall salad, spinach, kale, radishes, turnips, lettuce
  • Transplant: Fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower)
  • Harvest: Tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, corn, herbs, onions

See full zone 4 plan →

Zone 5 — August

4 actions
  • Sow outdoors: Autumn salad, spinach, kale, lettuce, radishes, turnips, beets
  • Transplant: Fall brassicas — broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower
  • Harvest: Tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, corn, melons, herbs, blueberries

See full zone 5 plan →

Zone 6 — August

4 actions
  • Sow outdoors: Autumn salad, spinach, kale, lettuce, radishes, turnips, beets, carrots
  • Transplant: Fall brassicas
  • Harvest: Tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, melons, corn, peaches, blueberries

See full zone 6 plan →

Zone 7 — August

4 actions
  • Sow outdoors: Fall salad, spinach, kale, lettuce, radishes, beets, carrots, turnips
  • Transplant: Fall brassicas, fall tomatoes (for second crop)
  • Harvest: Tomatoes, peppers, okra, squash, melons, peaches

See full zone 7 plan →

Zone 8 — August

4 actions
  • Transplant: Fall tomato transplants (early August)
  • Transplant: Fall brassicas — broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, kale
  • Sow outdoors: Beans (last succession), carrots, lettuce, radishes

See full zone 8 plan →

Zone 9 — August

4 actions
  • Transplant: Fall tomato, pepper, and eggplant transplants
  • Sow outdoors: Beans, cucumbers, summer squash (fall crop)
  • Harvest: Okra, southern peas, sweet potatoes, hot peppers

See full zone 9 plan →

Zone 10 — August

4 actions
  • Sow indoors: Fall tomatoes, peppers, eggplant for September transplant
  • Harvest: Tropical herbs, okra, sweet potatoes, hot peppers, citrus
  • Maintain: Heaviest summer heat — minimal sowing, focus on shade and irrigation

See full zone 10 plan →

Zones 1-2 and 11-13 in August

Sub-Arctic zones 1-2 (interior Alaska and northern Canada) are still effectively dormant for any month outside June-August. Greenhouse and cold-frame work dominates the calendar; outdoor planting compresses into a 60-90 day window.

Tropical zones 11-13 (Hawaii, southern Florida, Puerto Rico) have no frost cycle. Calendar timing depends on the wet/dry seasons rather than spring/fall frost — most temperate crops grow October through April, with the hot-wet summer as the off-season.

Source and methodology

Timing curated against US Cooperative Extension publications (UNL, UMN, NC State, Texas A&M, UF/IFAS, Oregon State) and cross-checked against the RHS sowing calendar for UK readers. Frost-date averages from NOAA Climate Data Online. Curated by the Growli editorial team.

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