Toronto in August: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, August in Toronto has run 17.5–25.5°C with about 81 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 Toronto is actually having, today.
Grow one in Toronto'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 Apr 26, first autumn frost around Nov 7 — roughly 195 frost-free days. Sow tender crops after the last frost date and make sure they finish before the first.
☀️ About 11.4 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it cools by about 1.8°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 Toronto 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 | 51 | Oct 4 |
| 🥬 Bok Choy | 31 | Sep 14 |
| 🌿 Garlic chives | 70 | Oct 23 |
| 🧅 Leek | 265 | May 6 |
⏳ Too late this month: Yardlong bean, Cucumber, Edamame, Pumpkin, Amaranth greens, Sunflower, Potato, Celery would still be in the ground when the first frost arrives (around Nov 7). Sow them earlier in the year, or grow them under cover.
🌡️ Winter melon, Aubergine never accumulate enough heat outdoors in Toronto — not in any month. Locally these need a greenhouse or a warm windowsill.
Best crops to sow now
They are all ideal for this month — the only real difference is how long each one takes, so pick whatever you want to eat.
- 🥢 Yardlong bean about 104 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Cucumber about 90 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🫛 Edamame about 105 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🎃 Pumpkin about 101 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Amaranth greens about 48 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌻 Sunflower about 75 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥔 Potato about 63 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Celery about 79 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🏵️ Marigold about 42 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Bok Choy about 28 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Garlic chives about 52 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🧅 Leek about 66 days to harvest Recent mean 21.5°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌿 Rocket — 28 day(s) of heat stress
- 🌿 Spinach — 22 day(s) of heat stress
- 🫛 Peas — Recent mean 21.5°C is too hot (ideal 7–21°C)
Other months in Toronto
📍 Somewhere else? Look up your own city →
Temperature and rainfall come from Open-Meteo's historical observations for Toronto, 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.