My Planting Calendar

What to plant in August in zone 7

USDA zone 7 has winter lows of 0 to 10°F, a typical last spring frost around Apr 5 and first fall frost around Oct 25, roughly 200 frost-free days. August is the "peak growing season" there.

38 crops have a sowing or planting window this month, including broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, fennel (bulb), zucchini / summer squash - and 10 of those windows close during August.

Dates come from the typical frost dates of USDA zone 7 (last frost Apr 5, first frost Oct 25). A zone covers many climates, so for dates tuned to your town use the planting calendar, or pick your state below.

Peak growing seasonSow or plant: 38Start indoors: 0Harvesting: 11

Zone 7: planting activity through the year

8
39
70
84
41
10
18
38
18
1
2
0
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Frost riskFrost-free: Apr 5 – Oct 25
Bars count the vegetables, herbs and fruit with a sowing or planting window in each month, from the state’s average frost dates. 38 have one in August; the busiest month is April (84).

Last chance in August

Broccoli (start transplants for fall, by Aug 2) · Cabbage (start transplants for fall, by Aug 2) · Cauliflower (start transplants for fall, by Aug 2) · Cucumber (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 9) · Fennel (Bulb) (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 9) · Zucchini / Summer Squash (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 9) · Bush Bean (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 16) · Carrot (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 16) · Kale (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 16) · Radicchio (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 16)

For fall and winter harvests (33)

Sowings counted back from zone 7's first fall frost, so the crop matures before the cold - or, for garlic and similar, planted after it.

CropWhat to doWindowThis month
BroccoliStart transplants for fallJul 16 – Aug 2Last chance - ends Aug 2
CabbageStart transplants for fallJul 16 – Aug 2Last chance - ends Aug 2
CauliflowerStart transplants for fallJul 16 – Aug 2Last chance - ends Aug 2
CucumberSow for a fall cropJul 23 – Aug 9Last chance - ends Aug 9
Fennel (Bulb)Sow for a fall cropJul 23 – Aug 9Last chance - ends Aug 9
Zucchini / Summer SquashSow for a fall cropJul 23 – Aug 9Last chance - ends Aug 9
Bush BeanSow for a fall cropJul 30 – Aug 16Last chance - ends Aug 16
CarrotSow for a fall cropJul 30 – Aug 16Last chance - ends Aug 16
KaleSow for a fall cropJul 30 – Aug 16Last chance - ends Aug 16
RadicchioSow for a fall cropJul 30 – Aug 16Last chance - ends Aug 16
Collard GreensSow for a fall cropAug 6 – Aug 23Aug 6 – Aug 23
Endive & EscaroleSow for a fall cropAug 6 – Aug 23Aug 6 – Aug 23
Napa CabbageSow for a fall cropAug 6 – Aug 23Aug 6 – Aug 23
ParsleySow for a fall cropAug 6 – Aug 23Aug 6 – Aug 23
PeaSow for a fall cropAug 6 – Aug 23Aug 6 – Aug 23
Swiss ChardSow for a fall cropAug 6 – Aug 23Aug 6 – Aug 23
BeetSow for a fall cropAug 13 – Aug 30Aug 13 – Aug 30
Cilantro / CorianderSow for a fall cropAug 13 – Aug 30Aug 13 – Aug 30
Bok Choy / Pak ChoiSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Opens Aug 20
BorageSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Opens Aug 20
DillSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Opens Aug 20
Fava Bean (Broad Bean)Sow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Opens Aug 20
Green Onion / ScallionSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Opens Aug 20
KohlrabiSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Opens Aug 20
LettuceSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Opens Aug 20
Mache (Corn Salad)Sow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Opens Aug 20
MizunaSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Opens Aug 20
Rapini (Broccoli Raab)Sow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Opens Aug 20
ChervilSow for a fall cropAug 27 – Sep 13Opens Aug 27
Mustard GreensSow for a fall cropAug 27 – Sep 13Opens Aug 27
SpinachSow for a fall cropAug 27 – Sep 13Opens Aug 27
TatsoiSow for a fall cropAug 27 – Sep 13Opens Aug 27
TurnipSow for a fall cropAug 27 – Sep 13Opens Aug 27

Harvesting in August

First harvests expected this month from crops sown or planted on time earlier in the season.

Leek · Jun 30 – Aug 19Parsnip · Jul 7 – Aug 6Salsify · Jul 10 – Aug 19Pumpkin · Jul 11 – Aug 10Rosemary · Jul 11 – Aug 10Celery · Jul 14 – Aug 23Celeriac · Jul 14 – Aug 3Luffa (Loofah Gourd) · Jul 18 – Sep 16Peanut · Jul 21 – Sep 9Sweet Potato · Jul 25 – Aug 24Chayote · Aug 17 – Sep 16

Peak growing season: August garden jobs in zone 7

  1. Water deeply two or three times a week rather than a little every day - about an inch a week, more in heat. See watering a vegetable garden.
  2. 10 weeks until the average first frost (October 25). Fall crops start now: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber. See the fall and winter garden guide.
  3. Check the undersides of leaves twice a week - catching pests early is most of the battle (pest identification guide).
  4. Harvest often: leek, parsnip, salsify, pumpkin should be coming in. Picking regularly keeps beans, squash and cucumbers producing.

Questions gardeners ask

What can I plant in zone 7 in August?

38 crops have a window in August: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, fennel (bulb), zucchini / summer squash, bush bean, carrot, kale, radicchio and more. The tables above give the exact dates for each.

When are the last and first frost in zone 7?

The typical last spring frost is around Apr 5 and the first fall frost around Oct 25. These are broad zone averages, so your own town can be a week or two either side: look yours up by ZIP code in the planting calendar.

What can I harvest in zone 7 in August?

From plantings made on time: leek, parsnip, salsify, pumpkin, rosemary, celery, celeriac, luffa (loofah gourd), peanut, sweet potato.

August in states with land in zone 7

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaGeorgiaIdahoIllinoisKansasKentucky

Zone 7 in other months

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulySeptemberOctoberNovemberZone 7 overview →

What to plant in August in other zones

Zone 3Zone 4Zone 5Zone 6Zone 8Zone 9Zone 10All states →

Dates are computed from the zone’s typical frost dates and each crop’s timing in our crop database. Your garden may be a week or two either side.