Nanjing in August: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, August in Nanjing has run 25.8–32.9°C with about 125 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 Nanjing is actually having, today.
Grow one in Nanjing'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 Feb 25, first autumn frost around Dec 6 — roughly 285 frost-free days. Sow tender crops after the last frost date and make sure they finish before the first.
☀️ About 9.7 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it cools by about 2.2°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 Nanjing usually gets, one day at a time — which is why some of these run past the end of the month.
| Crop | Days | Harvest around |
|---|---|---|
| 🌿 Amaranth greens | 31 | Sep 14 |
| 🌻 Sunflower | 57 | Oct 10 |
| 🌱 Microgreens | 5 | Aug 19 |
| 🏵️ Marigold | 29 | Sep 12 |
| 🥒 Cucumber | 71 | Oct 24 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | 59 | Oct 12 |
⏳ Too late this month: Winter melon, Okra, Aubergine, Luffa, Bitter melon, Yardlong bean would still be in the ground when the first frost arrives (around Dec 6). Sow them earlier in the year, or grow them under cover.
Best crops to sow now
- 🍈 Winter melon Ideal about 93 days to harvest Recent mean 29.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌶️ Okra Ideal about 53 days to harvest Recent mean 29.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍆 Aubergine Ideal about 81 days to harvest Recent mean 29.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Luffa Ideal about 71 days to harvest Recent mean 29.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Amaranth greens Ideal about 29 days to harvest Recent mean 29.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌻 Sunflower Ideal about 47 days to harvest Recent mean 29.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌱 Microgreens Ideal about 5 days to harvest 🪴 Windowsill pot — sheltered from outdoor weather
- 🏵️ Marigold Good about 27 days to harvest Recent mean 29.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Bitter melon Ideal about 65 days to harvest Recent mean 29.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥢 Yardlong bean Ideal about 57 days to harvest Recent mean 29.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Cucumber Ideal about 49 days to harvest Recent mean 29.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌽 Sweet Corn Ideal about 47 days to harvest Recent mean 29.4°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌿 Dill — Recent mean 29.4°C is too hot (ideal 9–26°C)
- 🌿 Parsley — Recent mean 29.4°C is too hot (ideal 7–25°C)
- 🌿 Coriander — Recent mean 29.4°C is too hot (ideal 8–24°C)
Other months in Nanjing
📍 Somewhere else? Look up your own city →
Temperature and rainfall come from Open-Meteo's historical observations for Nanjing, 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.