Summer Is Now In Full Swing & There Are Plenty Of Seeds to Sow in August. Here’s a List of More Than 25 Seeds That Can be Sown in August.
Table of Contents
Amaranth – Outdoor – Under Cover
Spring onions
Amaranth can be grown for seed or leaves but this time of year it’s too late for seed so we need to focus on leaves. It’s a crop that we don’t often see in the UK but is widely grown in Central and South America.
Broad Beans– Outdoor
This will surprise most gardeners as they normally sow in autumn or spring. But here are now selected varieties that can be August sown for harvest in late autumn or as late as Christmas in very sheltered areas. My own experience is that standard varieties such as Aquadulce will also crop in the autumn if sown this time of year. But for years I was told I was mad to try this unorthodox gardening magic!
Carrots – Outdoor – Under Cover
There is still time to sow faster maturing crops of carrots. And if you live in an area with less reliable weather why not sow them in containers that you can take into a tunnel or greenhouse to mature after the weather turns bad?
Celtuce – Under Cover
AKA stem lettuce, asparagus lettuce, or Chinese lettuce, is a unique vegetable where both the leaves and the stem are edible. It’s a cultivar of lettuce that, if sown now will crop over winter as well as in the autumn depending on which part you harvest!
Chicory – Outdoor – Under Cover
Both Red and Sugarloaf Chicory can be grown at this time of year. Many people find its an acquired taste as it’s quite bitter. But it’s a crop that can be eaten raw in salads or cooked so is quite versatile and worth considering.
Chinese Cabbage – Outdoor – Under Cover
Chinese cabbages are fast-growing and, though they attract all sorts of pests, they are really worth growing.
My main tip is don’t try to transplant them from a seedbed as it makes them bolt. So sow them in situ or in modules so there is less root disturbance when you transplant.
Dwarf beans – Under Cover
Sow in the greenhouse to get quicker germination and plants that will crop outdoors as autumn comes.
Endive – Under Cover
Sown now you can still get leaves for harvest in autumn.
Gai Choi aka Kaichoi – Under Cover
This is still a new veg for me. So let me give you a bit of detail.
This, I’m told, is a veg that is the enigmatic heart of Szechuan cuisine. It’s a tuberous vegetable and a culinary curiosity. Its stem, resembling a knobbly kohlrabi, offers a unique flavour profile: savory with a subtle spicy kick.
One of the plusses for Gai Choi is how versatile it is. It can be eaten raw in salads, cooked, pickled, or stir-fried. Apparently a kimchi-style ferment with garlic, ginger, and chili unleashes its full potential.
Timing is crucial for successful cultivation; whatever you read elsewhere I’m told to avoid spring sowing as it tends to bolt. Instead, opt for late summer sowing for outdoor growth or early September for protected environments. Alternatively, an ultra-early spring indoor start is apparently possible.
Another great plus is tha this is a double opportunity veg. The leaves can be ready for harvesting in 5-6 weeks and the root in 3-4 months. Obviously if you’ve removed the leaves then it will not grow the root/swollen stem. So remove jus t few leaves and get the noes too both maybe!
Kale – Outdoor – Under Cover
Several varieties of kale can be sown now and will give a leafy veg crop for a considerable time. Many are quite frost tolerant and grow well in adverse conditions.
Kohl Rabi – Outdoor – Under Cover
It’s not too late to grow what’s often called the German Turnip. It can be eaten raw or cooked .. and it’s actually nothing like a turnip!
Lambs Lettuce – Outdoor – Under Cover
Sometimes called Corn Salad this is a very hardy winter salad that lasts well through the winter. And when it goes to seed in spring the flowers can also be eaten. It has a mild flavour and a soft texture.
Land cress – Outdoor – Under Cover
Often called American cress this is an excellent substitute for watercress. It’s very hardy and can survive quite severe weather.
Lettuce – Outdoor – Under Cover
Now’s the time to sow for harvesting in November and December under glass or plastic. Depending on where you are they will even crop under cloches. Lettuce is quite capable of surviving a frost or two provided they aren’t too big when the frost gets them.
Under heated glass I’ve often turned the heat off when bad weather threatens and have seen lettuce sit totally frozen for weeks on end. Then when good weather breaks for a few days they can grow much faster than many people expect.
Japanese Onions – Outdoor
These are onions sown now for harvest next year, usually around late May or June depending on your climate.
Salad Onions– Outdoor – Under Cover
Though also known as Spring Onions there are several varieties that can be sown now for harvest outdoors in early spring. If you have a tunnel or glasshouse try them indoors as well as useful crops can be grown for winter harvest.
Mizuna– Outdoor – Under Cover
A leafy salad crop that soon grows more leaves after cutting. Well worth trying this time of year.
Oriental Mustards
Another cool weather brassica crop that is grown for its leaves and is frost tolerant. In fact, some people say they taste better after a frost. Varieties include …Red Frills, Purple Frills, Green Wave, Red Giant, Golden Streak, Red Giant, Golden Streaks, Komantsuna and others.
Pak Choi – Outdoor – Under Cover
Small plants can be harvested after 35 days but if you want a heavier crop wait until around 75 days when you get a head rather than just leaves.
Ideally, sow in a moisture retentive soil and eat the thinnings, so leaving the rest of the crop to mature. Pak Choi is less likely to bolt at this time of year.
Peas – Outdoor – Under Cover
Look for fast-maturing varieties so you can get a quick autumn crop. But beware lower yields as the days are getting shorter. Mildew can also be a problem in wetter areas.
Radish & Mooli– Outdoor – Under Cover
Ready in just a few weeks, both root and leaves can be eaten.
Spinach (perpetual) – Outdoor – Under Cover
What’s to say, its spinach. Sow it, wait, eat it!
Spring cabbage – Outdoor – Under Cover
Sow now for peppery cabbage next spring! ‘April’ and ‘Durham Early’ are reliable varieties.
Swiss chard – Outdoor – Under Cover
I like these in my flower beds, especially Rainbow Chard. as they actually add loads of colour as well as being edible.
Turnip – Outdoor – Under Cover
Fast growing and perfect for autumn stews!
Winter purslane, Claytonia or Miner’s lettuce
A very hardy winter salad. Produces small, mild-tasting, succulent leaves. Sow direct until end of the month.
Herbs to Sow in August
Parsley, coriander, basil and chervil can be sown in seed trays now for growing on the window sill under glass throughout the winter.
Microgreens to Sow in August
There are dozens of seeds you can grow to harvest as small plants or leaves within days/weeks of sowing. They are effectively the stage after sprouted seeds .. but best if soil grown, though some people prefer growing on jute mats.
The flavour can be amazingly intense for such a small seed.
What is the Best Seed for Sowing Each Month?
I’m often which is better, homegrown or shop-bought seed. The answer is .. it depends! OK so that isn’t much of an answer, so let me explain why I say that.
I divide most veg and fruit into two types. Old established varieties, sometimes called heirloom varieties, and modern F1 varieties.
The F1s are the cream of the crop if you want maximum yield, fast growth and a host of other positive attributes.
The heirloom varieties are time tested but often give a slightly lower yield and are perhaps a bit slower growing.
But the heirloom variety seeds are true to type and very reliable, whilst the seed saved from F1 plants are predictably unreliable and rarely breed true to type.
So that’s why it depends. The reasons for the difference was discovered over 150 years ago by an Austrian monk, Gregor Mendel. And I’ve written a far more detailed piece on Mendel’s Three Laws of Geneticsin another post. Follow the link to discover more
