Excerpt from Northern California Gardening August is a month of contradictions in Northern California. In the Central Valley areas it is true summer.
Days are hot enough here to encourage the gardener to seek shade.
A hammock and glass of lemonade are welcomed. Harvesting the vegetable garden is a daily pleasure, and giving away the bountiful supply can become something of a chore. High mountain gardeners are also experiencing summer, at least during the day. Cool nights set limits on certain crops in the high mountains, but these are definitely pleasant gardening days. Yet, in most years, the coastal areas will have to wait until September before their summer weather arrives.