Waco Planting Calender: August

 

I know, it's hot...and who wants to garden when its hot?   But there are some vegetables you can plant this month, most of which it will be too late to plant next month (those are highlighted in bold below). 

As always, this is just about the vegetables and herbs.   Items in bold are the last chance to plant this season.

START SEEDS OUTDOORS

Arugula
Beans, snap/bush 
Beans, Liana
Beans, Lima (by Aug 20)
Beets (after Aug 16)
Broccoli (by Sept 1)
Brussels Sprouts (by Sept 1)
Cabbage (by Sept 1)
Cantaloupe (after Aug 16)
Carrots
Celery*
Cilantro (after Aug 15)
Collards (after Aug 15)
Corn (before August 15)
Cucumber 
Dill (after Aug 15)
Melon, Spanish (after Aug 15)
Mustard Greens
Okra (by Aug 7)
Onion, sets (after Aug 15)
Parsley (after Aug 15)
Parsnip (after Aug 14)*
Peas, Southern 
Radish (after Aug 15)
Squash, Summer (after Aug 15)
Squash, Winter (after Aug 15)
Swiss Chard
Turnip (after Aug 15)
Watermelon (after Aug 15)
Zuchini (after Aug 15)


TRANSPLANT
Cabbage (after Aug 15)
Cantaloupe (or direct seed)
Melon, Spanish (or direct seed)
Watermelon  (or direct seed)
Pumpkin (before Aug 15)
Squash, winter 

START SEEDS INDOORS
to transplant later

Cabbage (before Aug 15)
Chard
Broccoli 
Cucumber (or direst seed)
Kale
Leeks (after Aug 15)
Lettuce, head (after Aug 15)
Pak Choi (after Aug 15)
Squash (patti pan, yellow or zucchini) - (or direct seed)


Most of the info for this month's planting guide came from the following sources.   A few other sources for individual plants are also linked in the list above. 

SOURCES:

The Central Texas Community Garden Manual

The Aggie Spring Planting Guide (Used this from WayBack Machine since that page is down)Updated March 1, 2025

*I'm not sure where I got the info for Parsnip.  However, it seems likely to be similar in planting time to turnip, which I did have info from the CTG, so I kept it.




MORE PLANTING TIPS
I usually just talk about veggies and the occassional herb, but I have some extra tips this month.  These tips are from the book Month to Month Gardening in Texas.   This was written before climate change started to alter things, so keep that in mind and make what adjustments you feel are wise.

Flowers and Bulbs
August is the last chance to plant the dormant bulbs of late summer and fall blooming lycoris  and fall crocus (Colchicum), which begin blooming in September.  August is also a good time to buy and plant Salvias.

Roses and Shrubs
You should prune your roses this month to get them ready for the fall blooming season. The exception is ramblers, climbers, and some varieties of old garden roses, which bloom on growth made the year before prolifically in spring and early summer. These should only be pruned now if absolutely necessary now (it's better to prune these type of roses earlier in the summer). Now is a really bad time to plant roses and shrubs, as the August heat is almost certain to kill new transplants.

Trees
This month is your last chance to plant palm trees, which will need time to get established before the cold. The heat makes this a bad time to plant other types of trees.