Curious what you should plant in Tucson in August? It's a great time in the low desert! Let's talk about what you can grow in August in Tucson.

pole beans plant with brown and green pods drying
Many pole beans like cowpeas, yard-longs, and red noodle beans ripen in August when there's not a lot else to harvest. A great staple for the pantry!

Weather

August usually has higher monsoon rainfall than July or September, which is a big help for getting plants started in the heat.

tucson average temperature chart august highlighted
Tucson average daily high drops from 98F to 96F over the month of August.
Overnight average lows drop from 76F to 74F during August.

Depending on how consistent the rain is, you may have to make frequent adjustments to your irrigation timing or water by hand during dry stretches.

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High heat combined with humidity can make midday gardening risky business, but early mornings, evenings, and night are all great times to get some seeds planted and take advantage of the rains while they last.

Planting

August can be a slow month for harvests in Tucson gardens. That said, if you planted pole beans earlier in the summer they may be ready now

Cover Crops & Forage

1st Half of August

BROADCAST OUTDOORS:

Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Cowpea, Fenugreek, Millet, Sesame, Sorghum, Sorghum-Sudan (hybrid), Sudangrass


DIRECT SOW / DRILL OUTDOORS:

Buckwheat, Cowpea


2nd Half of August

BROADCAST OUTDOORS:

Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Cowpea, Fenugreek, Millet, Sesame, Sorghum, Sorghum-Sudan (hybrid), Sudangrass


DIRECT SOW / DRILL OUTDOORS:

Buckwheat, Cowpea


Warning!

if you're using sorghum, sorghum-sudan, or sudangrass as forage, understand that these grasses produce prussic acid and cyanide under certain conditions which may affect some livestock. Do thorough research before grazing animals on these.

Herbs

1st Half of August

SOW INDOORS:


HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT OUT:


2nd Half of August

SOW INDOORS:


HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT OUT:


Fruits & Vegetables

1st Half of August

SOW INDOORS:

Artichoke, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cannabis, Cardoon, Cauliflower, Chili Pepper, Collards, Black-Eyed Peas, Cucumber, Melon, Napa, Okra, Romanesco, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper, Winter Squash


DIRECT SOW OUTDOORS:

Cannabis, Chili Pepper, Black-Eyed Peas, Cucumber, Melon, Okra, Potato, Pumpkin, Seminole Pumpkin, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper, Winter Squash, Yard Long Bean


HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT OUT:

Cannabis, Chili Pepper, Black-Eyed Peas, Cucumber, Melon, Okra, Summer Squash, Winter Squash, Yard Long Bean


2nd Half of August

SOW INDOORS:

Artichoke, Arugula, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cardoon, Cauliflower, Chard, Collards, Cucumber, Kale, Napa, Romanesco, Sweet Pepper


DIRECT SOW OUTDOORS:

Cucumber, Potato, Pumpkin, Seminole Pumpkin, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper


HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT OUT:

Cannabis, Chili Pepper, Black-Eyed Peas, Cucumber, Melon, Okra, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper, Winter Squash, Yard Long Bean


pumpkins plant lobed leaves growing in desert
If you'd like pumpkins that produce before the frosts come in a few months, direct sow them now with the monsoon rains. Be sure to sow them deeply (1"+) in case rains are inconsistent, and consider hand-watering for a week or so te help get them sprouted.

Grains, Seeds, & Cereals

1st Half of August

BROADCAST OUTDOORS:

Buckwheat, Cowpea, Millet, Sesame, Sorghum


DIRECT SOW / DRILL OUTDOORS:

Buckwheat, Corn, Cowpea


2nd Half of August

BROADCAST OUTDOORS:

Buckwheat, Cowpea, Millet, Sesame, Sorghum


DIRECT SOW / DRILL OUTDOORS:

Buckwheat, Corn, Cowpea


Flowers

1st Half of August

DIRECT SOW OUTDOORS:


2nd Half of August

DIRECT SOW OUTDOORS:


Harvesting

Produce

1st Half of August

Basil, Chili Pepper, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Melon, Mint, Okra, Pole Bean, Rosemary, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper, Winter Squash


2nd Half of August

Basil, Chili Pepper, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Melon, Mint, Okra, Pole Bean, Rosemary, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper, Winter Squash


okra plant flowering in summer garden
If you planted okra earlier in the summer, it may be ready to harvest now. If not, there's still time to get some planted!

Seed Saving

1st Half of August


2nd Half of August


Cut Flowers

1st Half of August


2nd Half of August


Weeding

Weeds to Pull

Spurge

Spurge starts popping back up in August. I like it as a ground cover and typically leave it until I'm ready to plant an area, but some gardeners pull it when they see it so I've included it here.

More Tucson Planting Calendars

« July   

Check out the Tucson
planting calendar for July


« July Planting Calendar  

   September »

Check out the Tucson
planting calendar for September


  September Planting Calendar »

All Months

Find the full list of Tucson monthly planting calendars here


All Monthly Calendars


That's all for now, thanks for reading!

If you have any questions, comments, or would like to connect with fellow gardeners, head on over to the forum and post there.