August Growing Guide UK - What to Sow, Grow and Harvest Now

Note: it's worth planting/sowing into September

August is when the garden goes full chaos mode: stuff is ripening faster than you can eat it, and you’re still trying to squeeze in a few last sowings for autumn. Here’s the no-faff UK growing guide for what to harvest, what to sow, what to plant, and the handful of jobs that actually matter.

What to harvest in August (UK)

If it’s producing, keep picking. The more you harvest, the more it tends to give you.

• Tomatoes

• Cucumbers

• Courgettes

• Runner beans and French beans

• Carrots

• Beetroot

• Potatoes

• Raspberries

• Blackberries

• Lettuce

• Onions

What to sow in August

These are quick crops you can direct sow in the ground now for late summer and early autumn picking.

• Lettuce

• Radish

• Spring onions

• Spinach

• Chard

• Turnips

• Winter radish

• Pak choi

What to plant in August

• Strawberry runners pegged into pots

• Spring cabbage

• Winter onion sets (end of the month)

August jobs worth doing

• Save tomato seeds on kitchen paper

• Lift onions when the tops flop

• Order garlic for autumn

• Take herb cuttings

• Keep the greenhouse ventilated

Beginner tip: the ‘can’t kill it’ sowings

If you’re new (or you’ve murdered a few seedlings already), start with radish and lettuce. They’re fast, forgiving, and they make you feel like a gardening wizard within a couple of weeks.

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