Many people consider spring to be the best season to start planting a garden. But did you know that late summer is actually considered the second gardening season? August is an ideal time to plant certain vegetables and herbs. There are quite a few plants that thrive in cooler weather or will mature before the frost hits, so now is the perfect time to plant these seedlings. Here are a few things to plant now:

Beans

Start planting both bush and pole beans, such as Contender, Kentucky Wonder, Topcrop, and varieties of Winter Cover Crops now that the soil and air are warmed up. Try a continual 7-10 day sowing of different varieties. This will give you continual bean crops and not one large harvest with wasted crop.

Broccoli

If you live in a warmer climate and can find a quick growing Broccoli variety like Calabrese, you can harvest well into November.

Carrot

Carrots are resilient and can last in harsh weather. Scarlet Nantes Carrots can be planted now and will be ready by mid fall.

Cucumber

Fast growing vine or bush cucumber plants, like Spacemaster 80, Muncher, and Marketmore 76, can produce an abundance of cucumber fruits. Be careful to pick a variety for the space you have in your garden. Vine cucumbers can be the best tasting but need far more space than bush varieties.

Flowers

Plant fall flowers like Aster, Chrysanthemum, Anise Hyssop and Witch Hazel now for a beautiful garden in the fall.

Kale

Dwarf Blue kale is a quick-growing variety. Plant now and you'll be enjoying a wonderful salad in the fall.  

Lettuce

Buttercrunch lettuce is a fast maturing variety. Plant it now and harvest in the fall.

Peas

Green Peas, Sugar Ann, and other varieties of Sugar Peas will produce a harvest before the winter frost.

Radish

The Cherry Belle Radish only takes 30 days to mature.

Spinach

Bloomsdale and Samish Spinach enjoy cool weather and can weather the harsh winter.