What to do in the garden in August
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Zone 1
❄️ Zone 1 · Min −51 °C · Northern Alaska, Yakutsk, Siberian far north. Almost no outdoor growing season.
- 🏆 Final harvest push — pick everything before frost
- 🌾 Sow winter rye in cleared beds immediately
- 🌰 Save seeds from best open-pollinated plants
- ❄️ First frost possible after Aug 20 — monitor nightly
Zone 2
🥶 Zone 2 · Min −45 °C · Interior Alaska, Northern Canada, Norilsk.
- 🏆 Harvest peak — beans, tomatoes, roots
- 🌾 Sow winter rye in cleared beds
- 🌰 Save seeds from best varieties
- ❄️ First frost possible after Aug 25 — protect crops
Zone 3
🌨 Zone 3 · Min −40 °C · Winnipeg, Northern Minnesota, Surgut. Very short season (90–120 days).
- 🏆 Harvest peak — beans, tomatoes, cucumbers
- 🌱 Sow kale and spinach for fall harvest
- 🌰 Save seeds from open-pollinated varieties
- 🌾 Sow winter rye in cleared beds
Zone 4
🌧 Zone 4 · Min −34 °C · Minneapolis, Calgary, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg. Season ≈ 140 days.
- 🏆 Harvest peak — tomatoes, beans, cucumbers
- 🌱 Sow kale, spinach, arugula for fall
- 🌰 Save seeds; dry on screens in warm spot
- 🌾 Sow winter rye in cleared beds
Zone 5
🌥 Zone 5 · Min −29 °C · Chicago, Montreal, Moscow, Helsinki. Season ≈ 160 days.
- 🏆 Peak harvest — tomatoes, beans, cucumbers
- 🌱 Sow brassicas for fall; spinach for September
- 🌰 Save seeds from best open-pollinated plants
- 🌾 Sow winter rye in early-cleared beds
Zone 6
⛅ Zone 6 · Min −23 °C · Denver, Toronto, Warsaw, Oslo, Kyiv. Season ≈ 180 days.
- 🏆 Continued peak harvest
- 🌱 Sow fall brassicas; direct sow spinach, arugula
- 🌰 Save seeds from open-pollinated varieties
- 🛡 Mulch heavily to retain soil moisture
Zone 7
🌤 Zone 7 · Min −18 °C · New York, Berlin, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Seoul. Long season ≈ 200 days.
- 🌱 Transplant fall brassicas outdoors
- 🫛 Direct sow fall spinach, arugula, radishes
- 🏆 Continue summer harvest; save seeds
- 💧 Maintain irrigation through late summer heat
Zone 8
☀️ Zone 8 · Min −12 °C · Seattle, Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, Amsterdam. Near year-round growing.
- 🌱 Transplant fall brassicas outdoors
- 🫛 Direct sow fall spinach, arugula, chard
- 🌰 Save seeds from best plants
- 💧 Maintain irrigation; taper off as temps drop
Zone 9
🌞 Zone 9 · Min −7 °C · London, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nantes, Rome, Madrid. Year-round outdoor growing.
- 🌱 Start fall tomatoes and peppers from seed
- 🫛 Sow beans and squash for fall harvest
- 💧 Maintain irrigation; heat still intense
- 🌰 Save seeds from best summer varieties
Zone 10
🌴 Zone 10 · Min −1 °C · Nice, Lisbon, Athens, Southern California, Southern Florida. Subtropical.
- 🌱 Start fall tomatoes and peppers indoors
- 🫛 Sow beans and squash for fall harvest
- 💧 Maintain irrigation; heat still high
- 🌰 Save seeds from best summer varieties
Zone 11
🌺 Zone 11 · Min +4 °C · Hawaii, Hong Kong, tropical coasts. True tropics, frost-free year-round.
- 🌱 Sow fast annual crops between rains
- 🏆 Harvest and preserve peak-season produce
- 🌿 Add compost to guild base zones
- 🌸 Plant new perennial species late month
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