While you can plant a late planting to the first frost date, it's always best to allow as much growing time as possible. If you missed the spring planting, then calculate which vegetables you can grow now and still have a harvest before the first frost.
Mid-August to mid-October is an ideal time of year to plant new trees, though, that time frame can be stretched into November and December. To be 100% sure, measure soil temperature early in the morning for a few, consecutive days. If your soil is consistently 50° F or higher, you're good to plant.
Some fast growing fall crops like lettuce and radishes can be planted into late September, but many desirable fall crops like broccoli and carrots need several months of prime-growing conditions to mature before frost and low light levels set in. When in doubt, plant your fall crops a little early.
Generally speaking, spring-flowering bulbs should be planted in the fall (a few weeks before first frost), while summer-flowering bulbs should be planted in the spring (a few weeks after last frost).
August is an ideal time to plant seeds for a second gardening season that can be as productive as your major early spring plantings. Late summer is perfect for a delicious fall vegetable and herb harvest.
The latest time to plant for most vegetables would be the second week in June with a short harvest time. If planting crops that mature within 50 days, you could plant those as late as the last week in June, but keep in mind the weather will be turning cooler, especially at night. Cool crops are best for late plantings.
Tip. Mid- to late-August is often an excellent time to plant fall flowers, as long as the weather isn't still so hot that the plants will suffer heat stress. But don't wait too late to plant, or you'll have a very short window to enjoy your flowers. Check the growing requirements for each plant.
Grass seed, trees and vegetables can all be planted as summer days shorten. AMES, Iowa – Seeds germinate fast when the soil is already nice and warm, which makes late summer a good time to rejuvenate lawns and plant fall vegetable crops of spinach, lettuce, peas and kale. Or plant a new tree.
Late summer planting
Choose quick-maturing crops. Spinach, lettuce and greens, beets, carrots, peas, and beans can be sown now. Most seeds will readily germinate in the garden now because the soil holds heat well into autumn; warm soil (in the 70°s) is ideal for seed starting, as long as the weather is not too hot.
Answer: Late summer (late August to mid-September) is an excellent time to plant many perennials. It is also a good time to move or divide perennials, such as peony, daylily, garden phlox, and oriental poppy.
Fall is Good for Root Growth
In the fall, the perfect combination of warm soils and milder weather create ideal conditions for newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials. Warm soil temperatures encourage root growth – more so than in the spring when the soil is still warming up.
It's time for planting fall color, such as mums and asters, as well as sprucing up planter boxes. You also may be surprised to learn that it's the best time of year to plant perennials and shrubs (trees, too!) while plants still have an opportunity to establish their root systems before the ground freezes.
The date that your ground actually freezes varies from year to year, of course, and some areas won't have frozen ground at all. If you're unsure, mid-November is a safe planting deadline for nearly everyone. - Get everything in the ground before the ground freezes.
From early fall through most of November is one of the best times of year to plant spring-blooming bulbs, cool-season annuals and vegetables, as well as many trees, shrubs, and perennials.
1) Plant before frost. Check your local area's frost estimations and plant perennials at least 6 weeks before the first freeze. 2) Don't fertilize -- fall-planted perennials will be going into winter dormancy in their next stage of life and new growth (encouraged by feeding) will be killed when the first frost comes.
Leafy greens and Brassicas: Lettuces, spinach, and Swiss chard can be planted from seed or from transplant this month. Plant members of the Brassica family, including broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, and cauliflower, from transplant. Kale can also be planted from seed in October.
Several vegetables can be planted in late summer for a fall crop. For a fall crop, plant beets, carrots, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, and kale in early to mid-August, plant leaf lettuce and spinach in late August to early September, plant radishes from mid-to late September, and plant garlic from October to early November.
Plants that thrive in fall weather include: carrots, beets, broccoli, Swiss chard, kale and all kinds of salad and Asian greens. Choose disease-resistant varieties that mature quickly. All can be direct-sown into the garden, though broccoli can also be started indoors under lights or in a greenhouse.
Late Summer begins around the third week of August and runs through the Fall Equinox.
Vegetables that can be planted in August include leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, collards, kale and mustard. Radishes, turnips, beets and carrots can all be started from seeds in August.
Planting in fall allows these plants to establish root systems that they can then bulk up over the winter. Also, in fall, there's usually more rain– which means less maintenance for you.
Dahlias are an obvious choice when it comes to what to plant in August, as they will flower right up to the first frosts and several varieties bring added interest with bronze foliage. You can also rely on long-blooming salvias, astilbes, sunny rudbeckias and gaillardias, asters, sedums and heleniums.
Some good candidates to plant now include hydrangeas, daylilies, lilies, sedums, ornamental grasses, peonies, and bearded iris. Just be sure you keep your new plants well watered if the weather is hot and dry. Mulching the beds also helps preserve soil moisture.
Let's look at plants that love to be in warm soil and warm air, which is just what we need in July and early August: Bush beans, pole beans and lima beans like the heat and are great choices. The beans are easy to freeze or can for winter use.