SUMMER may be coming to an end but that doesn’t mean you have to hang up your gardening gloves.
In fact, now is the perfect time to prep for a bountiful early autumn harvest.
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The end of summer shouldn’t mean the end of fresh vegetable produce in your garden.
A wide variety of delicious salad crops are actually best grown in August.
The green-fingered pros at Ideal Home broke down which plants to sow in August.
These picks are great if you’re looking for quick wins, with many ready to harvest after just four weeks.
So get your trowel ready, itt could be your most productive September in the garden yet.
Lettuce
Homegrown lettuce often tastes a lot better than supermarket varieties so why not add an extra crunch to your salad with fresh produce.
According to Nicky, who works as the head gardener at Polhawn Fort, butterhead lettuce grows very well at this time of year.
“Sprinkle your salad seeds over the surface of moist, firm compost and cover with a thin layer of compost or vermiculite,” he suggested.
“They’re best suited to a bright, warm area, as long as it isn’t too hot.”
Swiss chard
As one of the best drought-tolerant vegetables, Swiss chard is perfect for adding to your garden at the end of summer.
Regardless of any late bouts of hot weather, you’ll still be left with flourishing flower beds.
This vibrant and versatile veg will grow quickly and continue producing for months, according to Abbie Betts, gardening buyer at Cherry Lane Garden Centres.
She recommended starting to harvest the baby leaves after four to six weeks.
However, if you’re hoping for larger leaves and stems, you’ll need to wait at least eight to 10 weeks.
To keep the plant producing new leaves, make sure to pick the outer leaves first.
Seed-sowing planting guide for 2025
The Sun’s Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine has shared the fruits and vegetables you can sow and grow every month.
January – Herbs, spring garlic, broad beans, onions, raspberry canes
February – Chit first early potatoes, cucumber and tomato seeds, early peas, salad, bare root strawberry plants
March – Aubergine, broccoli, cauliflower seeds, chilli plants, apple and pear trees.
April – Beetroot and courgette seeds, maincrop potatoes, melon seeds.
May – Leeks, pumpkins, butternut squash, sweetcorn, parsnips, blackberry canes.
June – Kale, cabbage, chilli peppers, french beans, strawberries.
July – Turnips, winter radishes, carrots, french beans.
August – Spinach, rocket, spring onions, chard.
September – Pak choi, mustard, lamb’s lettuce.
October – Garlic, onion, blueberries.
November – Broad beans, peas, shallots, bare root gooseberry.
December – Salad leaves, broad beans, onions, chilli plants.
Radishes
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Radishes are one of the easiest vegetables you can sow in summer, leading to a plentiful autumn harvest.
However, it’s worth investing in some butterfly netting to protect this plant from hungry hungry caterpillars.
Make sure it’s pulled taut and securely fastened around your veg bed or pots so other wildlife doesn’t get caught.
Oriental salad leaves
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According to Grantley Hall’s head gardener, David Powell, Oriental salad leaves are the best August addition to your flower beds.
He revealed to Ideal Home that he plants the crop “weekly throughout August and then twice weekly in September”.
According to the pro, sowing successionally over the next month or so will ensure a steady supply of fresh leaves well into the autumn.
Spring onions
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Another salad staple, spring onions are best planted during the month of August.
“Begin sowing from now until mid-September,” advised Abbie from Cherry Lane Garden Centre.
“These little onions are ready to pull in as little as eight to 10 weeks.”
She recommended harvesting the veg when stems are “about pencil thickness for the best crunch and flavour”.
Spring onions are easy to grow, making them a brilliant choice for beginners, containers, and even windowsill-growing.
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