My Planting Calendar

What to plant in August in zone 8

USDA zone 8 has winter lows of 10 to 20°F, a typical last spring frost around Mar 20 and first fall frost around Nov 5, roughly 230 frost-free days. August is the "peak growing season" there.

30 crops have a sowing or planting window this month, including rutabaga, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, fennel (bulb) - and 4 of those windows close during August.

Dates come from the typical frost dates of USDA zone 8 (last frost Mar 20, first frost Nov 5). 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: 30Start indoors: 0Harvesting: 7

Zone 8: planting activity through the year

29
61
86
58
9
9
14
30
27
3
2
2
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Frost riskFrost-free: Mar 20 – Nov 5
Bars count the vegetables, herbs and fruit with a sowing or planting window in each month, from the state’s average frost dates. 30 have one in August; the busiest month is March (86).

Last chance in August

Rutabaga (sow for a fall crop, by Aug 6) · Broccoli (start transplants for fall, by Aug 13) · Cabbage (start transplants for fall, by Aug 13) · Cauliflower (start transplants for fall, by Aug 13)

For fall and winter harvests (29)

Sowings counted back from zone 8's first fall frost, so the crop matures before the cold - or, for garlic and similar, planted after it.

CropWhat to doWindowThis month
RutabagaSow for a fall cropJul 20 – Aug 6Last chance - ends Aug 6
BroccoliStart transplants for fallJul 27 – Aug 13Last chance - ends Aug 13
CabbageStart transplants for fallJul 27 – Aug 13Last chance - ends Aug 13
CauliflowerStart transplants for fallJul 27 – Aug 13Last chance - ends Aug 13
CucumberSow for a fall cropAug 3 – Aug 20Aug 3 – Aug 20
Fennel (Bulb)Sow for a fall cropAug 3 – Aug 20Aug 3 – Aug 20
Zucchini / Summer SquashSow for a fall cropAug 3 – Aug 20Aug 3 – Aug 20
Bush BeanSow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
CarrotSow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
KaleSow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
RadicchioSow for a fall cropAug 10 – Aug 27Aug 10 – Aug 27
Collard GreensSow for a fall cropAug 17 – Sep 3Opens Aug 17
Endive & EscaroleSow for a fall cropAug 17 – Sep 3Opens Aug 17
Napa CabbageSow for a fall cropAug 17 – Sep 3Opens Aug 17
ParsleySow for a fall cropAug 17 – Sep 3Opens Aug 17
PeaSow for a fall cropAug 17 – Sep 3Opens Aug 17
Swiss ChardSow for a fall cropAug 17 – Sep 3Opens Aug 17
BeetSow for a fall cropAug 24 – Sep 10Opens Aug 24
Cilantro / CorianderSow for a fall cropAug 24 – Sep 10Opens Aug 24
Bok Choy / Pak ChoiSow for a fall cropAug 31 – Sep 17Opens Aug 31
BorageSow for a fall cropAug 31 – Sep 17Opens Aug 31
DillSow for a fall cropAug 31 – Sep 17Opens Aug 31
Fava Bean (Broad Bean)Sow for a fall cropAug 31 – Sep 17Opens Aug 31
Green Onion / ScallionSow for a fall cropAug 31 – Sep 17Opens Aug 31
KohlrabiSow for a fall cropAug 31 – Sep 17Opens Aug 31
LettuceSow for a fall cropAug 31 – Sep 17Opens Aug 31
Mache (Corn Salad)Sow for a fall cropAug 31 – Sep 17Opens Aug 31
MizunaSow for a fall cropAug 31 – Sep 17Opens Aug 31
Rapini (Broccoli Raab)Sow for a fall cropAug 31 – Sep 17Opens Aug 31

Harvesting in August

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

Leek · Jun 14 – Aug 3Salsify · Jun 24 – Aug 3Celery · Jun 28 – Aug 7Luffa (Loofah Gourd) · Jul 2 – Aug 31Peanut · Jul 5 – Aug 24Sweet Potato · Jul 9 – Aug 8Chayote · Aug 1 – Aug 31

Peak growing season: August garden jobs in zone 8

  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. 12 weeks until the average first frost (November 5). Fall crops start now: rutabaga, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower. 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, salsify, celery, luffa (loofah gourd) should be coming in. Picking regularly keeps beans, squash and cucumbers producing.

Questions gardeners ask

What can I plant in zone 8 in August?

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

When are the last and first frost in zone 8?

The typical last spring frost is around Mar 20 and the first fall frost around Nov 5. 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 8 in August?

From plantings made on time: leek, salsify, celery, luffa (loofah gourd), peanut, sweet potato, chayote.

August in states with land in zone 8

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaLouisianaMarylandMississippiNevadaNew MexicoNorth Carolina

Zone 8 in other months

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulySeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberZone 8 overview →

What to plant in August in other zones

Zone 3Zone 4Zone 5Zone 6Zone 7Zone 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.