August Garden Jobs UK: Complete Food Growing Guide for British Gardeners

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August is the month of two very different gardens happening at once. There is the garden in front of you, heavy with tomatoes, courgettes, beans and the first apples, demanding to be picked before the wasps and the weather get there first. And there is the garden you cannot quite see yet, the one that will feed you in November and next spring, which needs its seeds going in now while there is still enough warmth and daylight left to get established.

Miss that second garden and you will feel it in the hungry gap next year. Get it right, and August becomes the month that quietly sets up an entire winter and early spring of home-grown food, almost as an afterthought to the harvesting.

This guide covers both halves: what to plant in August across vegetables, fruit and herbs, and the maintenance jobs that keep everything else cropping well into autumn. As with every month in this series, timing depends on where in the UK you are gardening, so regional notes are included throughout.

Regional Timing for August

Britain’s regional variation matters less in August than in early spring, since most of the country shares a similar window for the crops covered here. Still, a few adjustments are worth knowing.

Southern England has the longest runway. Gardeners here can push some sowings, particularly of salads and oriental leaves, into the final days of the month with reasonable confidence of a harvest before the cold really sets in.

Midlands and East Anglia sit close to the average timings given throughout this guide. Sow in the first three weeks of August rather than the last week where a choice is available.

Northern England and Wales should treat the first half of August as the priority window for anything destined to overwinter outdoors, since an early autumn cold snap can catch late sowings before they have built enough resilience.

Scotland benefits from bringing most August sowings forward to the first ten days of the month, and from favouring the hardier salad and brassica varieties named below over the more tender options.

What Vegetables to Plant in August

August vegetable planting splits into two clear jobs: quick crops you will still eat this year, and slower, hardier crops that are being planted now specifically so they survive winter and crop in spring.

Quick Crops for a Late Summer and Autumn Harvest

Radishes and salad leaves remain some of the most reliable sowings of the year, and August is no exception. Sow little and often, every ten to fourteen days, to keep a continuous supply going into October.

Kohlrabi is worth trying if you have not grown it before. It can be ready to harvest in as little as eight weeks from a well-prepared bed, which makes early August sowings a realistic bet for an autumn crop.

Spring onions such as ‘White Lisbon’ or ‘Performer’ can be direct sown now. These are hardy enough to sit through winter outdoors and will bulk up quickly once the days lengthen again in spring.

Swiss chard sown in drills this month will produce a flush of tender leaves through autumn, and the plants often survive a mild UK winter to give you an early spring crop as well.

Overwintering Brassicas

Spring cabbage varieties such as ‘April’ need to go in now if you want a crop next year. Miss this window and you will be waiting until the following season.

The same timing applies to summer and autumn cauliflower, and to winter cabbage varieties. Kale sown or planted out in August will establish well before the cold arrives and reward you with a long winter and early spring harvest.

Under Glass and in the Greenhouse

August is not a busy greenhouse month, but it is when to sow winter lettuce, ‘Winter Gem’ is a dependable choice, towards the end of the month for a supply that carries you through the darker months.

It is also your last realistic window for ‘Speedy’, the dwarf French bean variety that lives up to its name and can still put on a crop before the season closes if sown promptly at the start of August.

What Fruit to Plant in August

Fruit planting is quiet in August compared with spring and autumn, but there is one job worth prioritising if you have been growing strawberries in pots.

Any pot-grown strawberry plants that are ready to go into permanent ground should be planted this month. Give them full sun and free-draining soil, and avoid any bed that has grown strawberries within the last three years, since replanting into the same ground increases the risk of soil-borne disease building up.

If you took strawberry runners earlier in the summer and potted them on, August is when those young plants are typically strong enough to move into their final positions, whether that is open ground or a new container.

What Herbs to Plant in August

Herb planting in August is largely about setting yourself up for a fresh supply through the colder months, using the shelter of a greenhouse or a sunny windowsill.

Parsley, coriander and chervil can all be sown under glass now. Given a reasonably sheltered spot, they will keep producing through the early part of winter, well past the point their outdoor-grown counterparts have finished.

If you have space, this is also a sensible month to start a fresh batch of perennial herbs such as chives from seed under cover, giving them time to establish before the growing season properly ends.

Other Jobs to Do in August

August’s job list leans heavily towards maintenance and harvest, but the tasks below make a real difference to both the size of your current harvest and the health of your garden going into autumn.

Watering and Feeding

Consistent watering matters more in August than almost any other month, particularly for anything fruiting: tomatoes, courgettes, beans and container-grown crops in general. Irregular watering is the most common cause of split tomatoes and bitter courgettes.

Continue liquid feeding tomatoes, peppers and other fruiting crops weekly. They are working hard to ripen fruit and will reward the extra feed with a longer, heavier harvest.

Vegetable Jobs

Keep removing side shoots from cordon tomatoes and watch closely for blight, which tends to appear during warm, humid August spells. Remove and destroy any affected foliage promptly rather than composting it.

Courgettes and cucumbers should be harvested regularly, every couple of days if the weather is warm, since letting fruit grow oversized reduces the plant’s overall output for the rest of the season.

Runner and French beans will keep producing if picked consistently. Left on the plant, mature pods signal to the plant that its job is done and cropping slows right down.

Fruit Jobs

Summer-fruiting raspberries that have finished cropping should have their old canes cut down to ground level, making room for the new canes that will fruit next year.

Continue supporting heavily laden branches on apple and plum trees, and keep netting in place on soft fruit and top fruit as birds become more determined the closer the fruit gets to ripe.

Prune stone fruit such as cherries, plums and apricots after harvest if you have not already, since pruning these in winter increases the risk of silver leaf disease.

Herb Jobs

Established herbs such as mint, oregano and thyme benefit from a light trim in August. This encourages fresh, tender new growth rather than the woodier stems that develop by late summer, and gives you a second flush to harvest and preserve.

Common Problems in British Gardens in August

Blight is the most serious August risk for tomato and potato growers, particularly after warm, damp weather. Improve air circulation around plants, water at the base rather than overhead, and remove affected material immediately if you spot dark blotches on leaves or stems.

Powdery mildew often appears on courgettes and squash by this point in the summer. It rarely kills the plant outright, but consistent watering at the roots and good spacing between plants slows its spread considerably.

Wasps and birds both become more of a nuisance as fruit ripens. Netting remains the most reliable protection, and picking ripe fruit promptly rather than leaving it on the plant reduces the temptation for both.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it too late to sow vegetables in August?

No. Quick crops such as radishes, salad leaves and kohlrabi can still be sown throughout August, and overwintering brassicas like spring cabbage and kale are being sown specifically for next year’s harvest.

What vegetables can I still plant in August UK?

Spring cabbage, kale, spring onions, chard, kohlrabi, radishes and salad leaves are all suitable for August sowing across most of the UK, with Scotland and northern regions favouring the first half of the month.

Can I still plant strawberries in August?

Yes, August is a good month to plant pot-grown strawberries into their final position, provided the ground has not grown strawberries in the last three years.

Why is my tomato blight appearing now?

Blight thrives in warm, humid conditions, which is exactly what August often provides in the UK. Improving airflow around plants and watering at the base rather than the leaves both help reduce the risk.

Should I feed my tomatoes in August?

Yes, weekly liquid feeding through August supports the plant as it ripens its main crop of fruit, and stopping too early can noticeably reduce the final harvest.

What herbs can I sow in August?

Parsley, coriander and chervil sown under glass in August will keep producing well into the colder months, and it is also a good time to start perennial herbs such as chives from seed.

Do I need to prune raspberries in August?

Summer-fruiting varieties should have their spent canes cut to ground level once they finish cropping, making space for the new canes that will bear fruit next summer.

Why are my courgettes turning bitter?

Inconsistent watering is the most common cause. Keep watering regular, particularly during dry spells, and harvest fruit while it is still young rather than letting it grow oversized.

Is August too hot to sow winter lettuce?

Sow towards the end of the month rather than the beginning, once temperatures have started to ease slightly, and choose a hardy variety such as ‘Winter Gem’ suited to a winter harvest.

Keeping On Top of Things

August rewards consistency more than any single big task. Regular harvesting, regular watering and a handful of well-timed sowings for next year will do more for your garden than any amount of occasional effort.

By the time September arrives, the plants you sow this month, the spring cabbages, the kale, the overwintering salads, will already be establishing quietly in the background, ready to carry your garden through the months when very little else is growing.

Continue Your Journey

For more month-by-month guidance through the UK growing calendar, explore the rest of this series: July Garden Jobs, June Garden Jobs, and What Foods to Plant in September.

If tomato blight or other late-summer problems are on your mind, our guide to growing herbs outdoors covers companion herbs that can help support a healthier vegetable bed.

Thinking about your wider growing space this month, our guides to starting a vegetable garden and growing beets are useful next reads if you are planning expansions for next season.

For fruit growers, our roundup of the best fruit to grow and our guide to growing lemons pair well with this month’s strawberry planting jobs.

And if you are already thinking about extending the harvest into autumn, winter cover crops for your vegetable garden is worth reading alongside this guide.