Crops to plant in August

Plenty of vegetables don’t like the hot summer heat and grow better in the fall. Ottawa is in Zone 5a, therefore August is the most important month for fall and winter planting. Your exact planting dates are based on your expected first frost date. Planting for a good fall and winter harvest starts 6 to 8 weeks before your first anticipated frost date. It can be found by googling “first expected frost date in Ottawa”; one result for 2021 is provided below.

Example: if the first frost comes around October 1, counting back 6 to 8 weeks gives us a two-week planting range of August 1 to 15.

The whole family of plants in the Cole or Brassica family are perfect crops you can plant in August. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts all do very well in the fall. One very important thing to keep in mind is that you plant all of these plants from seedlings, so you might want to start them indoors during the summer.

Some plants that can be sowed directly into the soil in August follow:

Arugula, from 21 to 40 days (baby or mature leaf size)

Bush beans, about 60 days (have insulating fabric ready if early cold threatens)

Beets and beet greens

Braising greens mix (mustard, kale, collards, Asian greens…)

Broccoli (60 days from transplants started about 15 weeks before first frost;

Cabbage (60 days from transplants started about 15 weeks before first frost) or Napa cabbage (about 10 days faster)

Carrots

Cauliflower (60 days from transplants started about 14 weeks before frost; needs covering if frost threatens)

Chard

Chicory, endive, radicchio

Cilantro

Collards, about 60 days but nice as a baby green

Cucumbers (bush type rated 60 days)

Dill

Kale, about 60 days but nice in half that time as a baby green

Lettuce, about 30 days to first cutting

Mustard greens, about 45 days

Peas, shelling, sugar snap, and snowpea type

Radishes

Scallions and other hardy bunching onions, for fall use and to overwinter for spring

Spinach

Squash, summer variety, bush type

Turnips, 40-50 days, faster for greens, or rutabaga (90 days)


Very useful information is provided in these two videos:

20 Crops You Can Still Grow In August! (Michigan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=538cfJRPqqA

It's Not Too Late, 7 Crops You Can Still Plant in August (New Jersey) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kNrgQ5-N0M