What to Plant in August in Central Florida

While August is a hot month here in Florida, there are still a few vegetables that you can plant. If you’re looking to start your first garden, our best growing season is just around the corner. But if you really want to try growing something this month, keep on reading to learn what to plant in August in Central Florida – Zone 9b.

Florida Vegetables You Can Grow In August

Below are the vegetables and varieties that do well in Central Florida and when to plant them. In August you can plant a couple of vegetables outside, but you can also start growing seedlings indoors.

Warm Season: Eggplant, Peppers, Tomatoes, Beans, Carrots, Squash, and Green Onions.

Cool Season Indoors: Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Celery, and Chinese Cabbage. Next month you can plant them outdoors but this month you can grow them indoors with a grow light. To learn more about growing indoors, check out How to Start Seeds Indoors to learn more.

Gardening Recommendations and Tips For August

Personally, I believe if you’re planting in August then you should definitely use a shade cloth in Florida. This helps keep the soil and your plants cooler than they would be otherwise. You can learn more about garden covers from my previous post: Beat the Heat: Using Shade Cloths in the Garden.

When I plant I generally use Botanical Interests Seeds. They have such a wide selection of vegetables, flowers, and herbs. And they’re continually getting new seeds. As you can see from above, that’s just a handful of the seed packets I’ve ordered from them – and all seeds that can be planted in August (indoor and outdoor). Occasionally there’s a variety I want that they don’t, and I’ll look online for another source, but they seem to have the majority of what I’m looking for. They’re a reliable seed source for me. They also have a good selection of organic, non-GMO seeds.

What to Plant in August in Central Florida Vegetable Guide

There are multiple varieties that you can plant that are more tolerant of Florida’s heat and humidity. Picking the right varieties is important for your success. The varieties that work well in Florida are included in the chart below. Planting dates here are based on the University of Florida IFAS Extension, and you can find more information on that here: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021

And if you’re not sure what zone you’re in, you can check out the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. If you go to their website you can type in your zip code for confirmation of your location. The picture below is from their site:

Because I have raised garden beds, I do my planting based on square feet. Square foot gardening is included in the chart. For example – if you’re growing cabbage you only want to plant one seed per square foot. For carrots, you can plant 16 per square foot.

Days to harvest depend on the quality of your soil, so keep that in mind when waiting for your vegetables to ripen – they can take longer than the time stated above.  Days to harvest is also based on when your seed germinates, and not when you plant your seed.

I hope this guide helps you with your garden.

Interested in getting a head start for next month? Check out the September Planting Guide.

Happy Planting! 🙂