What to Plant Now in Australia: Monthly Planting Guide by Postcode
Enter your postcode or pick your climate zone to get a planting guide and year-round calendar for vegetables, herbs and flowers.
Step 1: Find your climate zone
Type your Australian postcode and we will pick the closest zone. You can also choose a zone yourself below.
Or choose your zone
Step 2: Choose a month
We start with the current month. Change it to plan ahead.
Your planting guide
Green ticks show the months to sow or plant. The gold column is your chosen month.
Next step: work out how many plants fit your bed with the Plant Spacing Calculator.
What to plant now in Australia
Australia has tropical, desert and snowy climates, so the answer to “what should I plant this month?” depends on where you live. A tomato that goes in during July in Cairns will not go in until October in Hobart. This planner matches your postcode to one of five climate zones and shows the months to sow or plant each crop.
The five climate zones
| Zone | Example places | Frost | Main growing pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical north | Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Broome | None | Most vegetables in the dry season, April to September |
| Subtropical | Brisbane, Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour, Rockhampton | Rare and light | Cool-season crops March to August, warm-season crops August to March |
| Arid and semi-arid | Alice Springs, Broken Hill, Port Augusta | Cold winter nights | Most crops from autumn to early spring, away from summer heat |
| Temperate | Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth | Light, mostly inland | Cool-season crops February to April, warm-season crops September to October |
| Cool and highland | Hobart, Canberra, Ballarat, Blue Mountains | Regular, into spring | Short warm season, planting after the last frost |
How this planner works
Your postcode is matched to a zone using broad postcode ranges, so a few places near zone borders may be assigned to a neighbouring zone. If your zone looks wrong, choose the right one yourself. Planting windows are typical sowing and planting months for each zone, based on general gardening practice. They are not weather forecasts and do not use Bureau of Meteorology data. Your local frost dates, altitude, microclimate and the instructions on your seed packet or plant label always come first. The planner currently covers Australia only. Your postcode is used in your browser to find a zone and is not stored.
Frequently asked questions
What can I plant right now in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone and the month. Enter your postcode above to see the vegetables, herbs and flowers to sow or plant this month where you live.
How do I find my climate zone from my postcode?
Type your postcode into Step 1 and the planner picks the closest of five zones: tropical, subtropical, arid, temperate or cool. You can override it if you know your garden suits a different zone.
Why do planting times differ so much between zones?
Frost, heat and rainfall set the safe growing window. Frost-tender crops such as tomatoes and beans wait until frost has passed, while in the tropics the cooler dry season is the best time for most vegetables.
Should I sow seed or buy seedlings?
Fast crops like radish, beans and carrots are best sown directly as seed. Slow or fussy crops such as tomatoes, capsicum and broccoli are easier from seedlings. The calendar shows the usual method for each crop.
What if I live on the edge of two zones or in a frost pocket?
Choose the colder zone if you get regular frosts, or the warmer zone if your garden is sheltered. Melbourne gardeners should use Temperate, or Cool for colder outer suburbs and hills.
Garden Yard Australia: free garden tools for Australian gardeners. Planting times are general guides and local conditions vary.