Shanghai in August: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, August in Shanghai has run 26.3–34.0°C with about 85 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 Shanghai is actually having, today.
Grow one in Shanghai'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 23, first autumn frost around Dec 8 — roughly 289 frost-free days. Sow tender crops after the last frost date and make sure they finish before the first.
☀️ About 10.6 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it cools by about 1.7°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 Shanghai usually gets, one day at a time — which is why some of these run past the end of the month.
| Crop | Days | Harvest around |
|---|---|---|
| 🌶️ Okra | 79 | Nov 1 |
| 🌿 Amaranth greens | 30 | Sep 13 |
| 🌱 Microgreens | 5 | Aug 19 |
| 🌻 Sunflower | 53 | Oct 6 |
| 🥢 Yardlong bean | 78 | Oct 31 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | 53 | Oct 6 |
| 🍃 Mint | 19 | Sep 2 |
| 🌿 Basil | 20 | Sep 3 |
| 🧅 Chives | 22 | Sep 5 |
⏳ Too late this month: Winter melon, Luffa, Bitter melon would still be in the ground when the first frost arrives (around Dec 8). Sow them earlier in the year, or grow them under cover.
Best crops to sow now
- 🍈 Winter melon Ideal about 89 days to harvest Recent mean 30.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌶️ Okra Ideal about 50 days to harvest Recent mean 30.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Luffa Ideal about 68 days to harvest Recent mean 30.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Bitter melon Ideal about 62 days to harvest Recent mean 30.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Amaranth greens Ideal about 28 days to harvest Recent mean 30.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌱 Microgreens Ideal about 5 days to harvest 🪴 Windowsill pot — sheltered from outdoor weather
- 🌻 Sunflower Marginal about 46 days to harvest Recent mean 30.1°C is too hot (ideal 14–30°C)
- 🥢 Yardlong bean Ideal about 55 days to harvest Recent mean 30.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌽 Sweet Corn Ideal about 45 days to harvest Recent mean 30.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍃 Mint Ideal about 19 days to harvest 🪴 Windowsill pot — sheltered from outdoor weather
- 🌿 Basil Ideal about 20 days to harvest 🪴 Windowsill pot — sheltered from outdoor weather
- 🧅 Chives Ideal about 22 days to harvest 🪴 Windowsill pot — sheltered from outdoor weather
Leave these for another month
- 🌿 Dill — Recent mean 30.1°C is too hot (ideal 9–26°C)
- 🌿 Parsley — Recent mean 30.1°C is too hot (ideal 7–25°C)
- 🌿 Coriander — Recent mean 30.1°C is too hot (ideal 8–24°C)
Other months in Shanghai
📍 Somewhere else? Look up your own city →
Temperature and rainfall come from Open-Meteo's historical observations for Shanghai, 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.