One of the most common questions from Australian gardeners — beginners and experienced alike — is simple: what should I actually be growing right now?
It sounds like it should have a straightforward answer. But the problem is that Australia spans six completely different climate zones, and what you should plant in Brisbane this month is completely different from what works in Melbourne, Perth, or Hobart.
This guide gives you a clear, zone-by-zone answer to what to grow in your Australian garden right now — so you stop Googling generic advice that doesn’t apply to your situation and start planting things that will actually grow.
Why “What to Grow” Depends Entirely on Where You Live
Most gardening content available online is written for the northern hemisphere — the UK, the US, or Europe. Their seasons are the opposite of ours. Their planting calendars are wrong for Australia. Their variety recommendations often don’t account for our heat, our humidity, or our frosts.
Even Australian gardening content is often written for a generic “Australian climate” that doesn’t exist. Australia is a continent with enormous climate variation. A subtropical gardener in Brisbane is growing in conditions that have almost nothing in common with a cool temperate gardener in Hobart — yet both are Australian.
The only way to know what to grow in your garden right now is to start with your actual climate zone.
Find Your Climate Zone First
Before anything else, identify which of these zones you’re in:
Subtropical — Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, northern NSW, Cairns Temperate — Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, ACT Mediterranean — Perth, southwest WA, parts of SA Cool Temperate — Tasmania, alpine Victoria, ACT highlands Tropical — Darwin, far north QLD, Kimberley WA Arid — inland Australia, outback QLD, NT, WA, SA
Once you know your zone, scroll to your section below.
What to Grow in Subtropical Australia Right Now
Zone: Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, northern NSW, Cairns
Subtropical Australia has a long warm growing season with mild winters that are ideal for vegetables. The key is avoiding the peak of summer heat for most crops — late autumn through to early spring is your prime growing window.
Best vegetables to grow now:
- Silverbeet and rainbow chard — grows year round in subtropical zones, incredibly productive
- Kale — thrives in the cooler months, frost tolerant
- Asian greens — bok choy, pak choy, and choy sum grow fast and love subtropical winters
- Beans — both climbing and bush varieties do well in the warmer months
- Capsicum and chilli — love the subtropical heat, long productive season
- Sweet potato — a subtropical staple, grows prolifically with minimal attention
- Cherry tomatoes — more heat tolerant than large varieties, productive over a long season
Best herbs to grow now:
- Basil — loves the warmth, grow through summer
- Lemongrass — thrives in subtropical conditions year round
- Chives and spring onions — easy, productive, and useful in the kitchen
- Ginger and turmeric — subtropical staples, plant rhizomes in spring
What to avoid right now: Cauliflower, broccoli, and European-style brassicas struggle in subtropical heat. Stick to heat-tolerant varieties and wait for the cooler months for anything delicate.
What to Grow in Temperate Australia Right Now
Zone: Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra
Temperate Australia has four distinct seasons with genuine winters that allow you to grow a wide range of cool-season crops. Spring and autumn are your most productive planting windows.
Best vegetables to grow now:
- Broad beans — a temperate classic, plant in autumn for a spring harvest
- Peas — snow peas and sugar snaps love cool temperate conditions
- Brassicas — broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts all thrive in temperate winters
- Garlic — plant cloves in autumn for a summer harvest, one of the highest-value crops you can grow
- Lettuce and salad greens — grow well through the cooler months with some protection from frost
- Spinach — cold tolerant and productive through winter
- Leeks and onions — slow growing but reliable and high value
Best herbs to grow now:
- Parsley — thrives in cool conditions, grows year round in temperate zones
- Coriander — bolts in heat, grows beautifully in cool weather
- Thyme and rosemary — Mediterranean herbs that love temperate Australian conditions
What to avoid right now: Basil, sweet potato, and other tropical or subtropical crops will struggle through a temperate winter. Wait until spring when soil temperatures rise above 18 degrees.
What to Grow in Mediterranean Australia Right Now
Zone: Perth, southwest WA, parts of SA
Mediterranean Australia — particularly Perth — has hot dry summers and mild wet winters. Winter is actually your prime growing season for most vegetables, making it the opposite of what many northern hemisphere guides suggest.
Best vegetables to grow now:
- Tomatoes — grow through the warm season before peak summer heat arrives
- Capsicum and eggplant — love the Mediterranean warmth
- Zucchini and cucumbers — fast growing in the warm season
- Lettuce and salad greens — grow through the mild winter months
- Broccoli and cauliflower — plant in autumn for a winter harvest
- Garlic — plant in autumn, one of the most reliable crops in Mediterranean WA
Best herbs to grow now:
- Rosemary, thyme, and sage — Mediterranean herbs that are perfectly adapted to Perth’s climate
- Oregano — thrives in dry warm conditions
- Parsley — grows well through the milder months
What to avoid right now: During peak Perth summer, most leafy greens and brassicas will bolt or fail in the heat. Focus on heat-tolerant crops and use shade cloth to extend the season for anything sensitive.
What to Grow in Cool Temperate Australia Right Now
Zone: Tasmania, alpine Victoria, ACT highlands
Cool temperate Australia has the shortest growing season of any Australian zone — but it’s also capable of producing exceptional quality vegetables thanks to the cold nights and genuine seasons.
Best vegetables to grow now:
- Potatoes — a cool temperate staple, plant in spring for a summer harvest
- Broad beans — incredibly cold tolerant, plant in winter
- Garlic — plant in autumn, harvest in summer
- Brassicas — broccoli, kale, and cabbage handle the cold well
- Root vegetables — carrots, parsnips, and beetroot thrive in cool soils
- Peas — snow peas and climbing peas love cool temperate conditions
Best herbs to grow now:
- Chives — extremely cold tolerant, grow year round
- Parsley — handles frost well with some protection
- Thyme and rosemary — cold hardy and reliable
What to avoid right now: Frost-sensitive crops like tomatoes, basil, beans, and zucchini need to wait until after your last frost date — typically October to November depending on your specific location and elevation.
What to Grow in Tropical Australia Right Now
Zone: Darwin, far north QLD, Kimberley WA
Tropical Australia operates on wet season and dry season rather than four seasons. The dry season — roughly April to October — is your prime growing window for most vegetables.
Best vegetables to grow now (dry season):
- Asian greens — bok choy, kangkong, and water spinach thrive in tropical conditions
- Beans — long beans and snake beans are tropical staples
- Capsicum and chilli — love tropical heat and humidity
- Sweet potato — one of the most productive and reliable crops in tropical Australia
- Pumpkin — grows prolifically in tropical conditions
- Eggplant — thrives in tropical heat
Best herbs to grow now:
- Lemongrass — a tropical staple, grows year round
- Thai basil — more heat tolerant than European basil
- Ginger and turmeric — tropical rhizomes that thrive in the wet season warmth
What to avoid right now: European vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and most salad greens struggle in tropical heat and humidity. Stick to heat-tolerant tropical varieties.
The Problem With Generic Planting Guides
Every list in this article is still general. It applies broadly to each climate zone — but your garden within that zone has its own specific microclimate, soil type, available space, and conditions.
A north-facing courtyard in Brisbane grows differently from a south-facing backyard two streets away. An elevated property in the Adelaide Hills has different frost risk than the flat suburbs below it. A Perth garden with heavy clay soil needs different management than one with sandy loam.
Generic advice — even climate-zone-specific advice — only gets you so far. At some point, you need a plan built for your actual garden.
Get a Planting Guide Built for Your Specific Suburb
If you want to know exactly what to grow in your garden right now — not a generalised zone guide but a specific list of crops, varieties, and planting times calibrated to your suburb, your space, and your goals — that’s exactly what Guildr provides.
Every Guildr guide is built from your questionnaire answers. Your suburb. Your climate zone. Your soil. Your available space. Your budget. What you already have growing. What you want to achieve.
The result is a personalised food garden guide that tells you exactly what to plant, when to plant it, where to buy it locally, and what to do first.
From $29, delivered within 24 to 48 hours.