When do blackberries ripen?

From mid-August into October in the northern temperate band. The first berry at the tip of each cluster ripens first and is the sweetest.

What can I still sow in August?

Overwintering onions, spinach, chard, oriental salads and green manures. Anything sown now establishes before the light goes.

What's in season in August in the southern hemisphere?

Citrus and avocado, with almond blossom and the first spring sowings beginning.

Season guide

What's in season in August, around the world

August. Blackberries, plums and the first apples in the north; first stirrings and almond blossom in the south.

August at a glance

Climate band	Ripe now	Being foraged	Going in the ground
Northern temperate40–60°N	Plums, first apples, sweetcorn, tomatoes	Blackberries, elderberries, hazelnuts, ceps	Overwintering onions, spinach, salads
Mediterranean & warm temperate30–40°N/S	Figs, grapes, peppers, melons	Wild figs, blackberries, almonds	Winter brassicas, chard
Southern temperate30–50°S	Citrus, avocado, early greens	Wild garlic in Chile, watercress	Potatoes, peas, first salads
Tropical & subtropical0–25°N/S	Durian end, banana, papaya	Honey, wild yam	Second rice crop

In the north

First harvest. Lughnasadh on 1 August marks it, and the ground backs it up: plums heavy enough to break branches, the first early apples, sweetcorn and outdoor tomatoes.

Blackberries open in the second half of the month and are the most democratic food in the northern hemisphere — every hedgerow, every lane, free. Elderberries follow, hazelnuts fill, and the first ceps push up after August rain.

In the ground: overwintering onions, spinach and quick salads. It feels like the end of something, but it is the last chance to set up the winter.

What's in season in Ireland in August

In the south

First stirrings. Almond blossom opens in the southern Mediterranean-climate regions, the ground begins to warm, and the first salads and potatoes go in.

Citrus and avocado are still carrying the southern table, and gardeners are sowing peas as northern gardeners start thinking about storage.

Marked days

Lughnasadh / Lammas
Ireland and Britain, 1 August
First harvest, first loaf. The grain is cut and the first bread of the new wheat is baked and shared.
Puck Fair
Killorglin, Ireland, 10–12 August
One of the oldest fairs in Europe. A wild goat is caught on the mountain, crowned king and set above the town for three days.
Ferragosto
Italy, 15 August
The country stops and eats outdoors.
Obon
Japan, mid-August
Food set out for returning ancestors, and vegetables shaped into animals to carry them home.

From the community

No entries for August yet — yours would be the first.

Tell us what's ripe where you are, and what your place does with it.

Find somewhere near you

6 places on the map are in season in August.

Hudson Hill Apple Farm
Apples · Hudson Valley, New York, USA
Sonoma Heritage Pear Grove
Bartlett pears · Sebastopol, California, USA
Door County Cherry Lanes
Montmorency cherries · Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, USA
Garden of England Cherry Orchard
Cherries & plums · Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom
Highland Wild Bramble Walk
Blaeberries & brambles · Aviemore, Scotland, United Kingdom
Les Figues de Solliès
Violette figs · Solliès-Pont, Provence, France

Open the map

This month in the Harvest Club

August's Gathering is Hedgerow — blackberries, plums and wild summer foraging.

Join the club →

Questions

When do blackberries ripen?: From mid-August into October in the northern temperate band. The first berry at the tip of each cluster ripens first and is the sweetest.
What can I still sow in August?: Overwintering onions, spinach, chard, oriental salads and green manures. Anything sown now establishes before the light goes.
What's in season in August in the southern hemisphere?: Citrus and avocado, with almond blossom and the first spring sowings beginning.