If you’re the kind of person who plants your garden on one day in May and doesn’t plant anything else the rest of the year, this post is for you.
First, you get major points for planting a garden. I know that life gets in the way and sometimes things we value, like a garden or the fresh food that comes from it, have to fall to the wayside. But you did it!
Now let’s spend a teeny bit more time planning for your garden’s success so you can keep harvesting more and later in the season than you ever have. It all comes down to putting the right plant in the right place at the right time.
But we have to start thinking ahead for our September and October harvests – what will grow easily then? That dictates what we planted this month.
What Did I Plant in August?
August is one of the hardest months in the gardening season. We’re harvesting so much from our gardens like tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, onions, cabbage, and green beans that it’s hard to keep up and our kitchen counters overflow with veggies. And on top of that, a good number of us take a summer vacation and/or get the kids back to school. And on top of that, we know we should keep sowing seeds so when the heat of the summer fades, our harvests continue.
August is the month we plan our fall garden, thinking ahead for our September and October harvests – what will grow easily then? That dictates what we planted this month.
- Tons of spinach. By the time this spinach germinates and starts producing leaves, the temperatures will have cooled and the spinach plants will be in their element.
- Snap/Snow Peas. These are always such a great snack and I wish I great more. So this month, I used up the rest of the seeds in my packet.
- Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Cabbages. these veggies are perfect to plant in the fall – the warmth of August and early September helps them grow quickly, and the cool temperatures of the end of September and October prevents them from bolting.
- Sunflowers. I’m probably a little late here, but I’m dreaming of having sunflowers for decorating when the leaves change this fall!
- Herbs. Herbs like basil and parsley don’t love the cold, so this month was your last chance to plant them.
I hope you planted some of these and set yourself up for amazing fall harvests. If not, there’s always next month! The best time to put seeds in the ground is right now. If you’re not sure what to plant in September, head over to the “Start Growing Right Now” section either on the sidebar or below this post. When you sign up to receive a free Growing Guide, you’ll have a fool-proof list of veggies and herbs that will thrive in September in Chicagoland. Happy growing!
