What types of vegetables, herbs, fruit, flowers and trees can you plant in August in Houston, Texas? Although it's super hot, there are a few options for planting. And, August is a great time to start seedlings inside for your fall garden.
August in Houston, Texas is very hot, often with consistent triple digit temperatures. Overnight lows often hover in the 80's. This weather makes it tough to keep plants alive, let alone nurture a new seedling to life.
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Just like July, August is a great time of the year to rest from working on your garden. Focus on watering, harvesting what may be maturing, starting new seedlings inside for your fall garden and keeping cool!
This is not the time to tackle big garden projects, unless you're willing to work on them little by little in the early mornings or late evenings, when the weather is more tolerable.
So, what vegetables, fruit, flowers, plants and herbs can you grow in August in Texas Zone 9a?
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🌶 Vegetables
What vegetables can you plant in the ground in August?
- Eggplant
- Peppers - scotch bonnet peppers (pictured below), jalapeños, chiles, bell peppers, habanero, cayenne, banana peppers and more
- Tomatoes
These vegetable plants are tolerant of the intense heat (to a point), as long as they get a little bit of shade during the day. If eggplant, peppers or tomatoes are left in full sun all day long without shade from a tree, fence or shade cloth, they may very well get scorched by the blistering summer heat in Texas.
Be sure to water in new plants and keep them watered daily (even twice a day), if there is no rain.
August is a great month to start sowing seeds indoors for planting out in the late summer and fall!
What vegetable seeds should you sow in August?
- Amaranth
- Black Eyed Peas
- Cabbage
- Chinese Broccoli
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Kale
- Lettuces
- Malabar Spinach
- New Zealand Spinach
- Spinach
- Okra
- Potatoes
- Pumpkin
- Tomatoes
- Summer Squash
- Sweet potato
- Swiss chard
- Winter Squash
🍉 Fruit
What fruit seeds can you sow indoors in August?
- Cantaloupe
- Watermelon
It's not recommended to plant any new fruit plants or fruit trees in August in Texas. It's too hot for them to make the transition from pot to ground. They will be shocked and have a very good chance of dying.
When buying new fruit trees, examine their growing season and when it's recommended to plant them in Texas, so you have the best chance of it thriving. For example, most fruit trees do really well planted in late winter or early spring here in Houston. The Annual Urban Harvest Fruit Tree Sale usually takes place in January for this reason.
🌺 Flowers
What flowers can you plant in August?
There are many types of flowers you can plant in August, but keep in mind that you will need to keep them well-watered. Additionally, the shock from being transplanted into a new location, in addition to summer weather conditions, may kill the plant.
Flowers that were planted earlier in the year will be blooming in August, especially if they are heat-tolerant and given enough water to make it through the summer.
What flowers are blooming in my garden in August?
- Bougainvillea
- Texas rock rose
- Purslane
- Texas Lilac (aka chaste tree or vitex)
- Hibiscus
- Butterfly weed
🌳 Trees
Should you plant trees in August in Texas?
No, this isn't the best time to plant trees in Texas. The intense summer heat can be tolerated by established trees, but new trees would require much care and constant watering to survive the summer.
The best time to plant trees in Texas is in the fall or spring.
So, you can plant a tree in Houston in August, but it will require more hands-on care than if you planted it at a more mild time of year.
If you do plant a tree in August, plan to do it in the evening or early morning, when it is not so hot outside. Also, plan to hand water the tree on days with no rain for at least the first 2-4 weeks, to give it plenty of water as it's roots get established.
We planted two Texas Lilac trees in August 2022, because the pots they were in were too small and they were getting root-bound. If we had waited any longer to transplant them, they may have died.
Thankfully, we started getting lots of rain and lower temperatures right after we planted them in the ground. And, they appear to be doing okay. One even started blooming a few weeks after planting.
🌱 Herbs
What herbs can you plant in August?
Warm weather herbs love the heat of summer. As long as they get water, these heat-tolerant herbs should be okay if planted in August in Southeast Texas:
- Basil - sweet basil, Genovese basil, Purple basil, Thai basil, African blue and ruffles all love the heat of summer, granted they are watered enough!
- Rosemary - this Mediterranean herb loves the heat and is drought-tolerant once established. Water 2-3 times a week in 100-degree weather, if planted in a container.
- Thyme - like rosemary, thyme is a Mediterranean herb that is heat-tolerant. It is delicious in dishes like Jamaican rice and pigeon peas, as well as many others!
- Savory - a woody herb, similar to thyme, savory is used as a salt substitute
- Mint - best grown in a large container by itself, mint will take over the garden by spreading, if not contained. Arguably, one of the most versatile herbs for cooking and for adding to infused water, teas and drinks, it's always good to have mint growing in the garden. It's low-maintenance and easy to grow, even in a Texas summer! Use fresh mint in these vegan summer rolls with spicy peanut sauce, so you don't have to turn on the stove for dinner.
- Lemon Balm - used to keep mosquitos away, lemon balm leaves are also used as an herbal tea. Needs some shade, otherwise the leaves will scorch.
- Oregano - used throughout the Mediterranean countries of Italy and Greece, oregano is a heat-tolerant staple for your garden.
- Mexican Oregano - distinctive from Italian or Green oregano, Mexican oregano is perfect for flavoring charro beans and other Mexican or TexMex dishes.
- Cuban Oregano - large thick leaves distinguish Cuban oregano from it's Greek and Mexican counterparts. Green Cuban oregano and Variegated Cuban oregano both handle the heat well!
- Tarragon - an anise-flavored herb that pairs well with chicken and is often used in French cooking.
- Lemongrass - an aromatic often used in Southeast Asian cooking.
These culinary herbs will do better if planted in the ground or a raised garden bed. Herbs planted in containers will dry out quickly when weather is consistently in the 90's and 100's.
If they are container plants, be sure to water daily or grow them inside, near a bright window, so they get lots of light.
⭐️ Lazy gardener tips
- In August, plan to water your garden first thing in the morning (between 5am-9am) or late in the evening (between 7:30pm-8:30pm) when it is cooler. Your plants will do better if watered during these times and so will you!
- Don't plan big garden projects for summer. It's not worth it!
- Do take advantage of the beautiful summer herbs that can handle the heat. Use that basil to make bruschetta all summer long!
Not sure what some of these gardening terms mean? Check out our glossary of easy to understand beginner-friendly definitions of plant terminology.
✂️ Equipment
In August, the garden equipment you'll use the most is your garden hose and nozzle! Water those plants regularly, daily or even twice a day, if need be. Be sure to water the soil, not the leaves, as much as possible.
A soaker hose can help with deep root watering, if you have one setup. This will help you water deeply to get to the roots, where the water gets taken in by the plants in your vegetable garden.
Or, if you have a sprinkler system, time it to water in the early morning hours, before the heat of the day has set in.
Also, since August is a great month to start seedlings indoors to plant out in fall/autumn, you will need some seeds and a plastic tray to start seeds in.
We found a large seed starting tray at Southwest Fertilizer in Houston. They also have bulk seeds to purchase for varieties of lettuce, spinach and other plants, that are much cheaper than the small packets.
❓ FAQ
Yes! In Texas, we have two planting seasons for potatoes, because of our warm weather. The first is in February through mid-March, with a harvest in summer. The second is in August through mid-September, with a harvest in winter. So, August is a great time to plant potatoes in Texas!
Vegetable, herb or container gardens in Texas should be watered daily in August, as temps reach the 90's and 100's, if it hasn't rained that day.
Lawn care is important in August, as the summer heat bakes grass. So, check soil moisture and water, if needed. Also, start seeds for a bountiful autumn garden!
In Texas, yes, you can plant tomatoes in August. In fact, tomatoes often do better in the fall in Houston, because the summer months of July and August are just too hot for tomatoes to thrive. So, plant tomato seedlings in August or start seeds for tomato plants in August, to plant outdoors in September.
💜 More articles you'll love
For more information, consult the AgriLife Extension Service Planting Calendar for Harris County. If you found this article helpful, you'll love these other lazy Texas garden houseplants and backyard ideas!
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