Beijing in August: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, August in Beijing has run 21.7–29.9°C with about 192 mm of rain across the month. Here is what weather like that will carry to harvest.
Everything above is a five-year average. In the game it is this — the weather Beijing is actually having, today.
Grow one in Beijing's weather right now →❄️ No sub-zero nights in August in the last 5 years — frost is not the limiting factor here.
🗓️ This month sits inside the frost-free window. Average last spring frost around Mar 21, first autumn frost around Nov 11 — roughly 235 frost-free days. Sow tender crops after the last frost date and make sure they finish before the first.
☀️ About 8.9 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it cools by about 4.1°C from the first ten days to the last — the window for autumn sowings is opening.
Sow this month — when would you harvest?
Assuming you sow in mid-August, then adding up the warmth Beijing usually gets, one day at a time — which is why some of these run past the end of the month.
| Crop | Days | Harvest around |
|---|---|---|
| 🏵️ Marigold | 36 | Sep 19 |
| 🌿 Amaranth greens | 43 | Sep 26 |
| 🌱 Microgreens | 5 | Aug 19 |
| 🧅 Onion | 72 | Oct 25 |
⏳ Too late this month: Chili Pepper, Aubergine, Tomato, Okra, Sunflower, Luffa, Bitter melon, Edamame would still be in the ground when the first frost arrives (around Nov 11). Sow them earlier in the year, or grow them under cover.
Best crops to sow now
- 🌶️ Chili Pepper Ideal about 92 days to harvest Recent mean 25.8°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍆 Aubergine Ideal about 102 days to harvest Recent mean 25.8°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍅 Tomato Ideal about 83 days to harvest Recent mean 25.8°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌶️ Okra Ideal about 70 days to harvest Recent mean 25.8°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌻 Sunflower Ideal about 57 days to harvest Recent mean 25.8°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🏵️ Marigold Ideal about 32 days to harvest Recent mean 25.8°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Amaranth greens Ideal about 35 days to harvest Recent mean 25.8°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌱 Microgreens Ideal about 5 days to harvest 🪴 Windowsill pot — sheltered from outdoor weather
- 🧅 Onion Marginal about 51 days to harvest Recent mean 25.8°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Luffa Ideal about 89 days to harvest Recent mean 25.8°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Bitter melon Ideal about 82 days to harvest Recent mean 25.8°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🫛 Edamame Ideal about 76 days to harvest Recent mean 25.8°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌿 Dill — 26 day(s) of heat stress
- 🌿 Parsley — Recent mean 25.8°C is too hot (ideal 7–25°C)
- 🌿 Coriander — Recent mean 25.8°C is too hot (ideal 8–24°C)
Other months in Beijing
📍 Somewhere else? Look up your own city →
Temperature and rainfall come from Open-Meteo's historical observations for Beijing, averaged day by day over the last 5 years. Whether a crop finishes in time is worked out from its own starting temperature and heat requirement — those numbers are listed on each crop page if you want to check them.