What to Plant in August in Zone 7

Here is what you can sow in August if you garden in USDA zone 7. Dates use typical zone 7 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.

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CropWindowSow between
Bush BeanProviderfallJul 11Aug 13
Pole BeanKentucky WonderfallJul 11Aug 3
Snap PeaSugar SnapfallAug 2Aug 10
CilantroCalypsofallAug 11Sep 24
ParsleyItalian Flat-LeaffallJul 25Sep 9
Lettuce, leafSalad BowlfallAug 11Oct 10
Lettuce, romaineChalupafallAug 11Oct 10
Lettuce, headButtercrunchfallAug 11Sep 24
SpinachBloomsdalefallAug 11Sep 29
ArugulaAstrofallAug 11Oct 10
KaleDazzling BluefallJul 25Sep 9
Swiss ChardBright LightsfallJul 25Sep 9
CollardsGeorgia SouthernfallJul 11Sep 9
Mustard GreensFlorida BroadleaffallJul 30Sep 10
CabbageTiarafallJul 11Aug 25
BroccoliBelstarfallJul 11Aug 20
CauliflowerSnow CrownfallJul 11Aug 15
KohlrabiWinnerfallJul 30Aug 30
CarrotNapolifallJul 30Aug 25
BeetDetroit Dark RedfallJul 30Aug 30
RadishCherry BellefallAug 11Sep 24
TurnipPurple TopfallJul 30Sep 4
Onion, bulbTexas LegendfallAug 30Oct 11
Onion, bunchingEvergreenfallJul 30Sep 9
Lima Bean (Bush)HendersonfallJul 27Aug 3
English Shelling PeaLittle MarvelfallAug 2Aug 9
Brussels SproutsLong Island ImprovedfallJul 11Aug 26
Napa CabbageBlues F1fallJul 17Aug 26
Bok ChoyJoi Choi F1fallAug 6Sep 15
Rapini (Broccoli Raab)Zamboni F1fallAug 1Sep 10
Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)Crispy BluefallJul 27Sep 5
TatsoiTatsoifallAug 1Sep 15
MizunaMizuna EarlyfallAug 6Sep 20
Daikon RadishMiyashigefallAug 6Sep 15
EndiveFrisée Fine MaraîchèrefallAug 1Sep 5
EscaroleBatavian Full HeartfallAug 1Sep 5
RadicchioPalla Rossa MavrikfallJul 22Aug 31
SorrelProfusionfallAug 11Sep 25
WatercressCommonfallAug 11Sep 25
CeleryTangofallJul 17Aug 16
ParsnipHollow CrownfallJul 12Aug 16
LeekLincolnfallJul 12Aug 30
SalsifyMammoth Sandwich IslandfallJul 5Aug 16
CeleriacPrinzfallJul 19Aug 23
RutabagaLaurentianfallJul 12Aug 23
Fennel, FlorenceOrionfallJul 26Aug 30
Strawberry, day-neutralAlbionfallAug 26Sep 25
DillFernleaffallAug 23Oct 4
ChervilCurledfallAug 30Oct 11
Strawberry, June-bearingHoneoyefallAug 26Sep 25
BeanfallJul 11Aug 13
LettucefallAug 11Oct 10
OnionfallAug 30Oct 11
Calendula (Pot Marigold)ResinafallAug 11Sep 24
Mache (Corn Salad)VitfallAug 26Oct 15
Cress, gardenCurledfallAug 11Oct 10

Zone 7 in August

The Second Spring Starts

A Compressed Version of March

The table rebounds sharply this month as the fall garden gets underway in earnest, greens, roots, and brassicas all returning at once. It's the same shape as a spring planting rush, just squeezed into a few weeks instead of stretched across two months, because your first frost, typically in the last week of October, is only about 12 weeks off.

Snap peas and English shelling peas get their only open window of the second half of the year this month; miss it and there's no fall re-entry the way there is for faster greens.

Strawberry June-bearing and day-neutral varieties both get a rare second chance this month too, planted now as a fall crop rather than the usual spring one. Expect a smaller first-year harvest than a spring planting gives, but a stronger stand heading into next year.

Count Backward From Frost

Slow crops need to go in as transplants now, not seed, to have any real shot at finishing. Broccoli takes roughly 70 days to head, brussels sprouts closer to 90 to 100; anything on the table needing more than 75 days should already be a transplant by the second week of this month, or the math against an October frost stops working.

That same math is why cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, carrot, beet, celery, parsnip, leek, celeriac, rutabaga, and fennel are all listed as a last chance this month. Wait past the middle of August and there simply isn't enough season left to finish them.

Water new transplants daily for the first week regardless of how established the rest of the bed looks. Surface soil in August routinely exceeds 85 degrees here, hot enough to stress fresh roots before they've had a chance to spread.

Radicchio, new to the table this month, needs a hard chill to color up properly. Don't expect the deep red heads seed catalogs show until nights are reliably dropping into the 40s come October.

August in zone 7: common questions

What can I plant in August in zone 7?+

In August, USDA zone 7 gardeners can sow Bush Bean, Pole Bean, Snap Pea, Cilantro, Parsley, Lettuce, leaf, and more. Dates use typical zone 7 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.

What USDA hardiness zone am I in?+

Zone 7 is one band of the map, but planting time is set by your local frost dates, not the zone number. Enter your ZIP code in the free planner and it uses your actual frost dates, which can differ by weeks within a single zone.

Are these August planting dates exact?+

They are typical zone 7 windows. Two gardens in the same zone can be a week or two apart because of elevation and local climate, so treat these as a starting point and tune them to your ZIP code with the free planner.