Which vegetables to plant in August? The best varieties are those that have a short ripening period and produce a harvest in early autumn!
If you still have room in your vegetable garden, early August is a good time to use it by sowing new vegetable seeds. Yes, there are some varieties that you have to avoid because they have too long a growing season and won't ripen before the cold winter, but others like spinach, radishes, etc. are very suitable. Here is the full list!
What should you consider when growing new vegetables in August
In August, many vegetables have already been harvested and there is room for new vegetables in the bed. But what is important to consider when sowing?
- When to sow the new vegetable seeds: The ideal conditions for this are on a not too hot day, after a rain shower. Then the soil is cool and moist, which promotes good seed growth. If the soil is very dry, you will need to water it thoroughly the day before sowing.
- You should also loosen the soil and remove weeds before sowing. Depending on the condition of the soil, it may make sense to supply it with an organic long-term fertilizer such as horn shavings.
- To ensure that the new vegetable plants have the best growing conditions, we recommend that you follow the so-called crop rotation. This is an annual sequence in which crops are grown on a certain area according to their nutrient requirements, dividing them into three groups - heavy, medium and low feeders. The principle is as follows: The area on which you have grown beans, for example, is enriched with nitrogen and is therefore ideal for heavy-feeding vegetables such as cabbage. In short, crop rotation is a prerequisite for maintaining soil fertility by naturally preventing depletion of nutrients in the soil.
Crop rotation in the vegetable garden: How can you use a table to better plan mixed crops and optimize yields?You can find out here!
What Vegetables to Plant in August – Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
WhichPlant vegetables in August– Spinach is perfect for this. But, to be completely honest, spinach can be grown all year round as long as you choose the right varieties. If you want to sow several rows of spinach, you need to leave a distance of 30 cm between rows and about 7 to 10 cm between plants so that you can work the area well with a hoe. Sow the seeds 2-3 cm deep. Keep the soil evenly moist until germination.
- Suitable spinach varieties for sowing in August – Bazaroet, Nores and New Zealand spinach.
Spinach is blooming: what to do and can you still eat it? The answers to these questionsyou can find here!
Radieschen (Raphanus sativus subsp. sativus)
What Vegetables to Plant in August – Radishes are perfect because they are fast growing. They take 50 to 60 days to mature, so you can get a harvest as early as September. Sow the radishes in rows 20cm apart. It is important that the plants are 5 to 10 cm apart from each other. Otherwise, you will harvest very small radishes.
An interesting fact about radishes – their taste changes depending on temperature and sunlight. The warmer the sun, the spicier the radishes.
- Suitable radish varieties for sowing in August – French breakfast 3, Mixed color, Saxa 2.
Which vegetables to plant in August – Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris)
Chard is one of those leafy plants that not only looks good, but is also extremely tasty and rich in vitamins. You can plant it outdoors between March and mid-August at the latest. When sowing, remember that the more space between plants, the larger the leaves will be. However, a guideline for the distance you should keep between rows is 30 to 40 cm and between plants 20 to 30 cm.
- Suitable chard varieties for sowing in August – Bright Lights, Lucullus.
Spring onions (Allium fistulosum)
Spring onions, also known as spring onions, can be grown all year round. Its green leaves refine the taste of soups and stews and are a wonderful addition to quark.
Sow the seeds about one centimeter deep and maintain an optimal row spacing of 20 cm. Spring onions take about 8 weeks to be ready for harvest. So if you sow them in early August, you can harvest in the fall,
- Suitable spring onion varieties for sowing in August – White Lisbon, Red Ninja.
What vegetables to plant in August – Arugula (Eruca sativa)
In addition to spinach, arugula is also ideal for sowing in August. You can even start sowing arugula outdoors as early as late March to mid-September. This makes it an extremely practical culture that allows you to vary your dishes almost all year round.
- Tipp: If you leave the core of the plant intact and only harvest the outer leaves, you can harvest within 10 weeks.
Loosen the soil deeply and sow the seeds in rows at least 15 cm apart, preferably even 20 cm apart. After placing the seeds, lightly tap the soil and water each row thoroughly. At temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius and more, the first harvest is possible six weeks later.
- Suitable types of rocket for sowing in August – wild rocket, salad rocket.
Kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica)
Which vegetables to plant in August – If you want to harvest kale in early fall, early August is the right time to sow. Plant the seeds one to two centimeters deep into the soil. The planting distance should be 40 centimeters and 70 centimeters between rows.
Tipp: As with arugula, if you only harvest the outer leaves when they are large enough, the kale will continue to produce new leaves and extend the length of the harvest.
- Suitable varieties of kale for sowing in August – black cabbage, white cabbage.
How to grow kale - instructions from sowing to harvestingcan be obtained here!
Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes)
Which vegetables to plant in August – Kohlrabi prefers to germinate in warm weather and is therefore particularly suitable for starting in August. After 8 – 12 weeks you will see the first harvest results. When planting, ensure that the distance between plants is approximately 30-40 cm to ensure optimal growth.
When harvesting kohlrabi, cut off the bulbs at the stem and remove the outer leaves. However, note that the leaves contain 10 times more iron and 100 times more calcium than the tuber. Even the vitamin C content of the leaves is twice as high as in the tuber. For this reason, kohlrabi should not be missing from your vegetable garden or your menu. The leaves taste great both fresh in salads and steamed, and the tubers make a wonderful, creamy soup.
What else needs to be taken into account: Kohlrabi is a biennial plant that produces a good harvest only in the first year. After that, the vegetable is dug up with the roots, and the soil needs a 4-year recovery period from kohlrabi. However, during this time you can sow other vegetables in it.
- Suitable kohlrabi varieties for sowing in August – Blaro
Special case: Until when can you plant potatoes
The planting date for potatoes depends on climatic conditions and the variety. But with suitable weather - light rain and moderate temperatures - potatoes can last until the end of August or evento be planted in September, and the first harvest is possible in 100 days.
Plant the potatoes 30 to 35 cm apart and cover them with finely loosened soil. Maintain a distance of 60 to 70 cm between rows to allow enough space for digging up the young plants later. Before planting the potatoes, dig the soil well and remove weeds.
- Fast-growing varieties of potatoes are “Sirtema”, “Marygold” or “Isabell”.
A guide for planting raised beds in August and Septembercan be found here.
