Shanghai in September: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, September in Shanghai has run 23.0–29.4°C with about 190 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 September 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 8.4 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it cools by about 2.9°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-September, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 🥢 Green Beans | 52 | Nov 5 |
| 🏵️ Marigold | 38 | Oct 22 |
| 🌿 Amaranth greens | 46 | Oct 30 |
| 🌱 Microgreens | 5 | Sep 19 |
| 🧅 Onion | 74 | Nov 27 |
| 🥕 Carrot | 56 | Nov 9 |
⏳ Too late this month: Chili Pepper, Tomato, Aubergine, Sunflower, Edamame, Okra 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
- 🌶️ Chili Pepper Ideal about 90 days to harvest Recent mean 26.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍅 Tomato Ideal about 81 days to harvest Recent mean 26.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍆 Aubergine Ideal about 99 days to harvest Recent mean 26.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥢 Green Beans Ideal about 37 days to harvest Recent mean 26.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌻 Sunflower Ideal about 55 days to harvest Recent mean 26.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🏵️ Marigold Ideal about 32 days to harvest Recent mean 26.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Amaranth greens Ideal about 34 days to harvest Recent mean 26.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌱 Microgreens Ideal about 5 days to harvest 🪴 Windowsill pot — sheltered from outdoor weather
- 🧅 Onion Good about 50 days to harvest Recent mean 26.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥕 Carrot Marginal about 43 days to harvest Recent mean 26.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🫛 Edamame Ideal about 74 days to harvest Recent mean 26.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌶️ Okra Ideal about 67 days to harvest Recent mean 26.2°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌿 Dill — Recent mean 26.2°C is too hot (ideal 9–26°C)
- 🌿 Parsley — Recent mean 26.2°C is too hot (ideal 7–25°C)
- 🌿 Coriander — Recent mean 26.2°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.