Do you think you’re done planting by August? Well, think again! There are still perennials, shrubs, trees, vegetables and even annuals you can plant in late summer to reap the benefits in fall and beyond …
Keep reading to discover what to plant in August & September in your garden!
Vegetables To Plant in August / September
Looking to plant some more vegetables in your garden? Are you afraid it is too late to start in late summer? While some plants are not suited to this time of year, there are quite a few that thrive when you plant them later on in the season.
Delicious Carrots Harvested Fresh From The Garden
Succession planting works very well in the home veggie garden, especially in late summer or early fall. The best vegetables for succession plantings include: arugula, basil, beans (pole), beets, broccoli raab, carrots, chicory, cilantro, dill, endive, green onions, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, bok choi, radish, rutabaga, spinach, swiss chard, and turnips.
What is Succession Planting? This is the continual planting and harvesting of crops. Plant small amounts periodically to extend the season. This method provides more usable harvest amounts for home gardeners.
Here are ten vegetables you can plant late summer and attain great results:
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- Broccoli – Broccoli is a hardy vegetable, which is why you can plant it a mere 85 days before your first fall frost. Broccoli that matures during cooler weather will produce healthier heads that taste sweeter than those you would harvest during other times of the year.
- Brussel Sprouts – are an annual cool season crop, hardy to frosts and light freezes. Brussels sprouts have shallow roots, so as they become top heavy, you may need to stake them, particularly if exposed to strong winds. Don’t think you like them? Try them roasted!
- Carrots – Carrots are an annual cool-season crop, half-hardy to frost and light freezes. Sow seeds evenly in a very shallow furrow, about 1/4 inch deep, and keep seeds moist so they will germinate.
- Cauliflower – Plant these in late August or early September, about six to eight weeks before the first fall frost. Your planting site needs to have a lot of full sun – ideally, pick a spot with about six hours of it.
- Kale – Kale is a cool-season crop, hardy to frosts and light freezes. It is generally more disease and pest resistant (and occupies less space) than other brassicas. Kale’s flavor is reported to improve and sweeten with frost.
Explore all the best seeds for sowing in August & September for a tasty fall harvest – Click Here
- Lettuce – Talk about quick! Lettuce and other salad greens will sprout within a week and be ready to start snipping in a few weeks. You can usually find lettuce transplants and you can certainly start your own by seed. For a steady supply for salads, your best bet is succession sowing.
- Onions – Onions can be grown practically everywhere, and prefer a cool- season start. They are as hardy as they come. Frosts, freezing temperatures and snow will not kill them.
- Radishes – Radishes are a fast growing, cool-season crop that can be harvested in as little as twenty days. They will thrive in cool, moist soil. In cooler climates they can be planted in both the spring and fall.
- Spinach – Spinach can grow anywhere there is at least a month and a half of cool growing weather. Spinach is a cool-season crop, hardy to frosts and light freezes. When planting your spinach in the late summer, look for a site with full sun to light shade.
- Turnips – Turnips produce small mild-flavored bulbs that do not store very well but are excellent for eating fresh like radishes. Most varieties are grown either for fresh consumption or for the greens. Turnips like cooler weather – especially at night.
Any vegetable that is grown for its root is best direct sown, so that you don’t disturb the root and cause it to become stunted or deformed.
Rotate crops so related plants don’t stay in the same place. Broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, kale, radishes, kohlrabi, rutabagas, turnips, and cauliflower are all very closely related (they’re in the same plant family, known as “Brassicaceae,” or the mustard family). As a result, they take the same nutrients out of the soil and are vulnerable to the same pests and diseases.
Perennials To Plant in August / September
You can transplant perennials anytime until the ground freezes in the fall. . Fall is an excellent time to transplant herbaceous perennials because your plants will then have three seasons to establish a good root system before hot summer weather sets in next year.
What are Herbaceous Perennials? These are plants that die down to the ground each year, but whose roots remain alive and send up new top growth each year. Herbaceous perennials have no persistent woody stem above ground. Some examples include: hostas, daylillies, coneflowers and oriental poppies.
Planting perennials in the fall is an easy way to enjoy a bigger, more beautiful garden the following year. While most gardeners are more accustomed to planting in spring, fall is also an ideal time to get perennials established in your garden.
Tips For Fall Planted Perennials
When planting perennials in autumn, follow these helpful tips:
1) Plant before frost – Check your local area’s frost estimations and plant perennials at least 6 weeks before the first freeze.
2) Don’t fertilize – fall-planted perennials will be going into winter dormancy in their next stage of life and new growth (encouraged by feeding) will be killed when the first frost comes.
3) Avoid planting late-flowering perennials – such as aster, black-eyed Susan, and perennial ornamental grasses; these do best planted in spring.
4) Mulch them – around the base of fall-planted perennials to help them overwinter in cold climates.
5) Water well – Make sure newly planted perennials get enough moisture to develop new root growth.
Plant Trees!
Trees that can be successfully planted in the fall include alder, ash, buckeye, catalpa, crabapple, hackberry, hawthorn, honey locust, elm, Kentucky coffee tree, linden, maple, sycamore, pines, and spruces.
Your tree will require the same care no matter what time of year you plant. Always mulch a two to three-inch ring of mulch around the base of your tree, but please don’t pile it against the trunk. Water your tree right after planting, yes, even if it’s cold outside.
There are perks to fall planting, like a stronger root system and less maintenance. But whether you’re planting in the spring or fall, your newly planted tree will still require a little care in the first year of its life to get it off to a healthy start.
What Else Can You Plant in August / September?
This is a good time to refresh your containers, or fill in bare spots in the garden with annuals. Many are on sale now at garden centers online or in stores.
You can take out leggy annuals, and others that no longer look so hot that were planted in May. Spruce up your arrangements with fall colors and cool hardy plants like calendula, dianthus, pansies, petunias, mums, ornamental cabbage, osteospermum and snapdragons.
What To Plant in August & September
There are plenty of things to plant in these months! Start salad greens and root plants to continue to enjoy fresh vegetables on your table, get perennials and trees started before winter hits, and revive your garden beds and containers with fall colors in both blooms and foliage,
Spring planting can be tricky. On the cold side, hard freezes and occasional snowstorms can make spring feel not so springy. On the hot side, spring weather can escalate into searing summer temps with hot, dry winds. In contrast, autumn is less emotional. Air temperatures are generally consistently warmer and the sun is less intense. These weather conditions allow plants to grow stronger … an ideal time to plant trees, shrubs, and perennials.
