What to Plant in Raised Beds in August – 7 Must-Grow Plants to Extend the Season
Here's how to refresh raised beds this month
By August, many raised beds are ready for a refresh. Whether brimming with glorious blooms, cut-and-come-again crops, herbs, or a riotous mix of ornamentals and edibles, by late summer growth can begin to slow and fade, revealing hard-to-ignore gaps.
Fortunately, there are plenty of hard-working showstoppers that are waiting to be planted this month for raised bed garden ideas. Poised to revive a flagging display, these attractive and often tasty border stars will happily mingle with established plants or even steal the show alone.
These seven plants can all effectively revive raised beds of any shape or size. From the smallest designs such as this circular metal design from Lowe's to the three-tiered Stair Step Bed from Walmart, there are plenty of August planting options to discover.
1. Winter Salad Leaves
August is the time to restart your salad sowings in a raised bed. With free-draining soil at an easy-to-reach-height, you can easily sow and nurture a flavorful and decorative mix of hardy leaves to see you through fall and winter.
'Sow arugula, mustard greens, Asian greens, leaf lettuce and spinach, once the hottest weather begins to ease,' says Carrie Spoonemore from Park Seed’s app From Seed to Spoon. 'Many mature quickly and tolerate light frost.'
Taking around 50 to 60 days from seed to plate, there are plenty of exciting and intriguing varieties to choose from. Such as the striking bronze Cimmaron Lettuce Seeds and spicy hot Rocket Wasabi at Park Seeds.
Radish and Speedy Root Crops
August marks the start of a second growing season, so utilize the benefits of a raised bed by planting root crops. Fast-growing roots such as radish, beets, turnips, and baby carrots can now be sown in situ and be ready to harvest in a couple of months.
There are plenty of eye-catching and tasty varieties to try, bringing decorative color to a raised bed as well as your plate. Our favorites include Chioggia Beet Seeds , Kaleidoscope Blend Carrots, and Salad Rose Radish, all from Burpee.
Boosted by a raised bed's enhanced drainage and enriched soil, these plants will mature quickly but need regular watering, so consider installing a soaker hose such as this from Amazon.
Kale and Leafy Greens
August marks a reset for the raised vegetable garden. With summer crops dwindling, it's time to start planning winter leafy greens such as spinach, chard, kale and broccoli.
Varieties such as Bright Lights Swiss Chard from Burpee and the steely blue Lacinato Kale from True Leaf Market can be sown outside towards the end of the month.
Nutritious and bringing texture, height and color to the vegetable patch, they impress intermingled with perennials or in traditional rows. 'The loose soil, reliable drainage and defined edges of a raised bed also make it easy to add shade cloth now and insect netting or frost protection later,' says Carrie.
Carrie does note: 'August planting is highly regional. Gardeners should check their average first-frost date and the variety’s days to maturity, then allow roughly 10–14 additional days because growth slows as daylight and temperatures decline.'
Pink Muhly Grass
Landscaping with ornamental grasses brings beds and borders alive and, providing you avoid extreme heat and keep them well watered, some can be planted in August.
One of the most spectacular perennial grasses is Pink Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris). Thriving in full sun and reaching 3-4 ft tall it is a firm designer favorite.
'Summer blooms aren’t done and more color can be added to the garden with late season grasses, including Pink Muhly grass,' explains landscape architect Stacilyn Feldman. 'This sometimes fickle grass prefers a slightly drier condition and will benefit from a well-drained raised bed. Plant in August for late fall color.'
Find Pink Muhly grass at Amazon or the smaller Pink Cloud Muhly grass at American Meadows.
Camellia
August is a good time to plan for winter color, and introducing winter flowering shrubs into raised beds can prove the answer.
'For further color, beyond frost, plant camellias in late summer for early winter blooms,' says Stacilyn.
'Do be careful to keep the shrubs watered properly during the hot August heat, but a raised bed will aid the Camellias in establishing strong roots, free of root rot. Consider placing the Camellias in morning sun and afternoon shade, out of the wind, using an acidic soil.'
A raised bed with integral trellis - such as this Tall Planter Box with Lattice Screen from Target - can provide useful protection. Alternatively, slot in a freestanding screen such as this chic Slatted wood screen from Lowes and pair with Tri Color Starter Camellia from Amazon.
Saffron Crocus
For something a little different, 'August is the perfect time to plant saffron crocus,' says horticulturist Peggy Anne Montgomery.
'With a sunny location and well-drained soil, these easy-to-grow bulbs reward gardeners with elegant lavender-purple blooms in fall.'
These plants come with a culinary reward too. 'Each flower produces the vivid crimson stigmas that become saffron,' explains Peggy Anne. 'The largest saffron harvests typically begin in the second year, and the corms can remain productive for up to six years before needing to be divided.'
For the best long-term results, Peggy Anne suggests planting saffron or Crocus sativus in a dedicated raised bed. 'This helps prevent the corms from being accidentally dug up or disturbed during routine maintenance and replanting that often occurs in ornamental flower borders.'
Red Clover and Cover Crops
If August vacation plans or a super busy schedule means hitting pause on raised bed displays, don't despair; cover plants are the answer.
'Late summer is an excellent time to sow a cover crop,' says Carrie Spoonemore. 'Cover crops help keep soil covered, suppress weeds, reduce erosion and retain or add nutrients. The best choice depends on winter climate and when the bed will be needed again.'
Popular options include oats, buckwheat and crimson clover. 'Choose a cover crop with the spring plan in mind,' adds Carrie. 'Whatever the choice, decide how and when it will be removed before sowing it.'
Buy crimson clover seeds at True Leaf Market
Shop for Raised Beds
Growing in raised beds has many landscape design and growing advantages. Get more from these planters by learning how to improve drainage and the best fall raised bed garden ideas.
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Meet the Experts
Stacilyn is a celebrated landscape architect known for her planting design and detailing in botanical gardens, residential estates, green roofs and urban development in Washington, DC, New York City and across the United States. Stacilyn holds a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture from The Pennsylvania State University.
Carrie is co-founder of Park Seed's From Seed to Spoon app, built to help home gardeners grow their own food with confidence. She writes about the nutritional benefits of homegrown produce, organic growing practices, and the mental health rewards of time spent outdoors. Carrie also leads weekly gardening workshops, where her tips for gardening come straight from her own family's experience.
Peggy Anne Montgomery is a horticulturist with more than 35 years of U.S. and international experience in trade- and consumer-focused garden marketing and communications. She studied horticulture and apprenticed in the Netherlands where she raised a family and owned a landscape design firm for 10 years. Today, she represents Flowerbulb.eu.
