Get More From Your Garden: What to Plant in August

Having a fall harvest sometimes can seem like an impossible task in zone 6, and you won’t find many fall starter plants in your big-box stores. But good news: There are several plants you can start from seed outdoors in August. Even if you didn’t get around to starting seeds indoors for your fall garden, there is still time to direct sow for a fall harvest.

What to Plant

When most people are putting their garden beds to rest, others are harvesting crops of cool-season vegetables. Radish, carrots, beets, lettuce, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, peas, and parsley all can be sown in August for a harvest before the first frost, which is October 20th in our area.

You can even harvest as the snow falls. Many people even say crops are sweeter and crisper after the frost has touched them. Just make sure you’re selecting the right variety: Always look on the back of your seed packet for the “days to harvest” and select varieties that can be harvested sooner, such as a shorter variety of carrot rather than a longer one.

Protecting Your Crops from the Cold

There are several ways to extend your harvest well into winter. Covering your crop with a frost cover can help keep heat in the soil when the temperature drops at night during the fall by preventing the quick cooling of the surface to form frost. Installing a hoop house is also another option, especially when a frost cover is not enough. You can use PVC to form the half-circle hoops, clear plastic for the cover, and stakes to keep the hoop house secure in severe weather. Finally, making sure to add mulch around your crops to protect them is important.

In short: Don’t be afraid of fall planting!