35 Crops You Can Direct Seed in August & September for a Fabulous Fall Garden

Like many, I get burned out with the heat of summer and it is harder to manage the garden. I also know I love the garden in the fall. Picturing the garden, when the heat breaks, helps me stay motivated. Planting seeds now really translates into fall gardening and life enjoyment for me. The crops that love the cool weather, and can take a frost, are some of my favorite plants to eat and grow.

The first thing to understand is that planting times vary, so you want to test out directing seeding times and take notes. For example plant some radishes early August, late August, and mid September. Take notes on growth and harvest and see which planting time yields the best radishes. Now you have a guideline for next year

The second thing to understand is that the germination time and days to maturity, on the back of a seed pack, are wrong for plants seeded in August. They will germinate much more quickly and grow faster. We are using this to our advantage for a fall garden.

The third thing to understand is that the warm crops need a lot less time to mature, based above, therefore you can plant them much later than you think. Cool crops can be planted anytime in theory, but if it is too early, before the cool of fall rolls in when they are maturing, they often bolt and flower. Both crops will grow more quickly in the higher warmth of August.

The fourth thing is that the shade of beans, cucumbers, corn, trees, and other plants can be used to help get those cool crops started earlier. The shade can lower soil temperatures by 15 or 20 degrees. Of course you can use shade cloth to help. Your garden may have pockets of cooler soil for you cool crops. The cooler soil temperatures slows bolting but the warmer ambient temperatures help the plants grow more quickly.

And finally, water, water, water. You probably have to water seeds daily in high heat and every other day were it might be just a bit less hot.  They need to stay well watered for 10-14 days after germination. The hot sun can damage seedlings in a single hot afternoon.

A great way to go, for fall gardening, is looking for varieties the mature more quickly. I am growing 65 day corn. You can find cantaloupe, melons, and even pumpkins that can mature in 65 days.  Take some time to find varieties that mature quickly, if you have a shorter period of time, in the fall, before frost rolls in. Warm crops for sure, but even cool crops that mature quickly can make a difference in your garden. Take notes and use them each year to make the following year a better experience.


The plants below are listed in order as they appear on my YouTube video, 35 Crops You Can Direct Seed in August & September: Warm & Cool Crops- Planting Tips & List Below!

35 Crops or So You Can Plant for A Fall Garden

Carrots (Cool) If kept watered, carrots do really well germinating in August and mellowing and developing nicely when the cool temperatures of fall roll in. Keep in mind you can do short carrots, if you have clay or rocky soil. 

Turnips (Cool) You can't really go wrong with them as the greens are definitely edible and delicious. They germinate really quickly. A lot of people grow them for greens through the summer.  

 

Beets (Cool) A beet seed is actually a pod containing many seeds. You may get several plants in one space. Thin, to allow 1 or 2 plants to mature per planting hole. 

Dill (Warm) A lot of people don't know dill can actually manage a light frost. So it is perfect for planting late summer. It matures to a good size, about 45 days after germination.

Cilantro (Warm and Cool) It actually does best in cool temperatures and it can take a frost. I throw seed all over my garden late fall and let it sit. Come early spring I have cilantro all over. Bees and pollinators love it, if you let it flower.

Bush Beans (Warm) They can be ready in 40 days or less, from germination. Bush beans are often under grown/planted in the garden, beyond the first planting in June or July. They can be planted through out the entire summer, tucked in pockets all over the garden.

Spinach (Cool)  Spinach can bolt really fast, especially when grown as a transplant, I recommend direct seeding it. It does pretty well once germinated when temperatures are warmer but it does not like germinating in really hot soil. Soil shade really helps. 

At My Shop: Cool Weather Seed Collection

Swiss Chard (Warm and Cool) It grows well, spring, summer, and fall. I don't like the taste and leaf texture in the summer. And my spring chard that makes it into August, gets all its leaves removed. I like the new leaves that grow into to fall. The leaves are sweeter and less tough.

Peas (Cool) The beauty of peas is that you can also eat the tendrils. They taste like peas! So even if you get a late start there will be tendrils you can eat. Pea leaves and shoots can manage a frost but the flowers and pods can't. I like starting peas pretty early in August as to have them begin producing before my frosts arrive.

Bunching Onion (Warm and Cool) Plant them all season long when you have space. They are super frost tolerant and can last through the freeze of winter here in Maryland.

Arugula (Cool) It bolts super fast but germinates really quickly. Best planted when the soil is cooler and they days are cooling off. It can be ready in little as 25 days after germination. I am growing plants now under corn.

Mustard Greens (Cool)  Another crop the bolts and flowers quickly but it is really fast grower. I plant them in late August, in Maryland, and throughout the beginning of September. If you don't like the spiciness of the leaves raw, cook them. They really mellow out and make a great green.

Radish Daikon (Cool) A long radish that can take 40-60 days to mature. It can handle frost and is best planted a bit later in August unless you have some plants shading the seeding area.

Pak Choy (Cool)  A delicious loose cabbage that should never be started as transplants. If you have done this or purchased transplants, you know they bolt before fully forming. Direct seed Pak Choy in the garden when temperatures cool greatly. They mature very quickly and can take a solid frost. Asian greens do really well in garden that get less sun.

Bok Choy (Cool)  Ditto to Pak Choy

Chinese/Asian Cabbage (Cool)  Generally speaking all Asian cabbages and greens bolt quickly in warm soil and hot days. They are best planted when things are cooling down. I recommend direct seeding.

Lettuce Romaine (Cool) One of my favorite lettuces to grow to full heads. A little shade helps them early in August. I generally plant them over the last 2 weeks of August to get them growing. They can take a frost. Because I want them full size, sooner than later, I do like planting some seeds when it's warmer.

Cabbage (Cool) Cabbage can take a frost and takes a while to mature. You can certainly seed them directly but transplant are often a good way to go. Even if you don't have time for full heads to form, you can eat all the developing leaves.

Broccoli (Cool) Again, very often, best planted as a transplant but broccoli varieties with shorter days to maturity do really well planted as seeds. They can take a frost but the forming head can't take a prolonged frost like the leaves. So it sometimes gets damaged.

Cauliflower (Cool) Ditto to Broccoli.

Brussels Sprouts (Cool)  Ditto to Broccoli and Cauliflower. I do recommend transplants for these and the variety I like is called 'Jade'. It produces lots of sprouts with a shorter maturing period.

At My Shop:  A Fall Garden in Fabric Pots

Zucchini (Warm) I am on wave 3 or 4 in my garden. Once germinated, and they can germinate in 4 days, they can start producing in as little as 30 days.

 

Cucumbers (Warm)  I keep planting cucumbers all season long into mid August. They will also germinate in 4 days and can start producing in 40 days or even less. Zucchini and cucumbers are wonderful warm crops to push to first frost.

Salad Mache (Cool) Not my favorite but a really fast grower for leafy greens. They need cooler soil.

Cantaloupe (Warm)  There are a lot of 65 days to maturity varieties and that is even accelerated with warm soil. My first frost date is around the end of October. I plant a final crop in the first week of August. 

Melons (Warm)  Ditto to Cantaloupe

Pumpkin (Warm)  Though you can find them with shorter days to maturity, I find August 1st to be good. This way I get about 80 days of no frost.

Chives (Warm and Cool)  Easy to grow. They are perennials and can be divided every year and placed all around the garden.

Fennel (Warm)  A great tasting herb if you like licorice flavor. It has a great texture and crunch.

Celery (Cool) Plant several seeds in a hole as germination can be tough. Barely cover them with soil. Germination is faster in the warmth but they don't like baking soil. Keep them moist and use the shade of other plants or a shade cloth when starting them. If you don't get mature stalks, you can use the leaves in stews and salads. The roots have survived winters in Maryland. New growth showed up early spring.

 

Kohlrabi (Cool) They do really well direct seeded in August and mature nicely over the fall. If you have lots of white fly pressure, I recommend planting them in long rows so they are easier to spray.

Endive (Cool) A great firm texture salad green with a crunch and mild bitterness. Very resistant to frost and insects tend to leave it alone.

Radish Globe Type (Cool)  Radishes are best planted every 2 weeks starting in the middle of August. They can mature in as little as 25 days. They can take a frost and be planted even when frost is around.

Lettuce Buttercrunch (Cool)  Just a great lettuce  leaf that can hold dressing but is more like a loose leaf. They do prefer cooler soil, so experiment with the timing of planting.

Kale (Warm and Cool)  They can grow spring, summer, and fall. I don't like their flavor during the summer. They can handle the winters here in Maryland and come spring, they produce 100's of buds and flowers that can be eaten.

Collards (Warm and Cool) Also a three season crop that tastes best with a touch of frost. They bolt sometimes during the summer. 

Parsley (Warm and Cool) A great fall garden crops that can handle the winter. It tends to flower the 2nd year and it attracts butterflies and pollinators.

Pick a handful of cool crops you enjoy and maybe plant a few cucumber seeds in August. I think you will be surprised at how well some warm crops do in the fall and you will enjoy watching the green growth of the cool crops. 

"A Garden Wants to Give"

Cheers!

Gary (The Rusted Garden)

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