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Farmers almanac

One almanac per growing zone, published every month. Pick your zone and month below for the full picture: what to plant now, what should be coming ready to harvest, the moon planting calendar, sunrise and sunset for your zone, and the climate averages you can expect from Bureau of Meteorology records.

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August 2026 Farmers Almanac

Planting, moon and climate guide for the Subtropical zone

Updated 11 Oct 2026

2026 ENSO Update: We’re sitting in ENSO-neutral, with climate models pointing to El Niño by late winter 2026. Inigo Jones cycle, Bruckner year 20 (dry phase), Jupiter year 7 (declining wet), reads near-normal to below-normal rainfall. If El Niño develops as the models have it, eastern Australia usually turns drier and warmer through spring and summer.

Climate Overview

Zone	Max	Min	Rainfall	Conditions
Subtropical	22-24°C	10-13°C	30-45mm	Spring approaching. Mild, dry. Last frost possible early month.

Astronomical Events

Partial Lunar Eclipse – August 28, 2026: A partial lunar eclipse peaks at 2:12pm AEST. Whether you get a view depends on moonrise and cloud, check closer to the date.

Perseids Meteor Shower – peak around Aug 12-13: A northern shower, only stragglers reach southern skies.

Moon Phases

🌗

Last Quarter

Aug 6

🌑

New Moon

Aug 13

🌓

First Quarter

Aug 20

🌕

Full Moon

Aug 28

Sunrise / Sunset

Days are lengthening noticeably as we head toward spring. Here’s the welcome change across the month:

City	1st	15th	Last	Daylight change
Brisbane (AEST)	6:29am – 5:19pm (10h 49m)	6:18am – 5:26pm (11h 07m)	6:03am – 5:34pm (11h 31m)	+42 min

Trend: Melbourne gains a full hour! Spring is approaching fast.

Planting Guide

Subtropical Zone

Planting windows from the GardenBuddy zone planting master (109 crops tracked for this zone). Harvest months are the verified zone harvest window where we have one, otherwise calculated from typical days to maturity.

Plant Now

Angelica (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Artichokes (suckers (offsets))
Asparagus (crowns)
Asparagus Pea (sow direct)
Basil (seed tray)
Beans – climbing (sow direct, seed tray)
Beans – dwarf (sow direct, seed tray)
Beetroot (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Borage (sow direct, seed tray)
Cabbage (transplant)
Cape Gooseberry (seed tray)
Capsicum (seed tray)
Carrot (sow direct)
Chilli peppers (seed tray)
Chives (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Coriander (sow direct, transplant)
Cucumber (seed tray)
Dill (sow direct)
Eggplant (sow direct, seed tray)
Fennel (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Fig (potted or bare-root tree, or cuttings)
French tarragon (cuttings or divisions)
Horseradish (root cuttings)
Jerusalem Artichokes (tubers)
Kohlrabi (sow direct, transplant)
Lemon Balm (seed tray)
Lettuce (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Mint (cuttings or divisions)
Mizuna (sow direct, transplant)
Mulberry (potted or bare-root tree, or cuttings)
Mustard greens (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
NZ Spinach (seed tray)
Oregano (seed tray)
Pak Choy (transplant)
Parsley (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Pear (grafted tree, potted or bare-root)
Peas (transplant)
Pecan (grafted tree, potted or bare-root)
Pomegranate (potted or bare-root tree, or cuttings)
Potato (seed potatoes)
Pumpkin (seed tray)
Radish (sow direct)
Raspberry (canes or suckers)
Rhubarb (crowns)
Rocket (sow direct)
Rockmelon (seed tray)
Rosemary (cuttings or potted plants)
Sage (seed tray)
Savory – summer savory (sow direct)
Savory – winter savory (seed tray)
Silverbeet (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Snow Peas (transplant)
Spring Onion (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Squash (seed tray)
Thyme (seed tray)
Tomatillo (seed tray)
Tomato (seed tray, transplant)
Turnip (sow direct)
Watermelon (seed tray)
Winter squash (seed tray)
Zucchini (seed tray)

Harvest

Angelica
Asparagus
Avocado
Beetroot
Blueberry
Borage
Broad Beans
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Celeriac
Chinese cabbage
Chives
Collards
Coriander
Daikon
Dill
Eggplant
Endive
Fennel
Garlic
Ginger
Grapefruit
Horseradish
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lemon
Lemon Balm
Lemongrass
Lettuce
Macadamia
Mandarin
Mint
Mizuna
Mulberry
Mustard greens
Orange
Oregano
Pak Choy
Parsley
Parsnip
Peas
Radish
Rhubarb
Rocket
Rosemary
Rutabaga
Sage
Salsify
Savory – summer savory
Savory – winter savory
Silverbeet
Snow Peas
Spinach
Spring Onion
Strawberries
Sweet Marjoram
Thyme
Tomato
Turnip
Yam
Yam/Oca

Moon Planting Calendar

Phase	Dates	Best for
Waning (Full to Last Quarter)	Aug 1-6	Root vegetables, garlic, onions, bulbs. Pruning.
Waning (Last Quarter to New)	Aug 6-13	Soil preparation, composting, pest control. Rest period.
Waxing (New to First Quarter)	Aug 13-20	Leafy greens and herbs. Sow above-ground crops that fruit outside the plant.
Waxing (First Quarter to Full)	Aug 20-28	Fruiting crops – tomatoes, beans, cucurbits. Strongest above-ground planting energy.
Waning (Full to Last Quarter)	Aug 28-31	Root vegetables, garlic, onions, bulbs. Pruning.

Livestock Guide

Birth season kicks off properly. Busy weeks ahead, plan for early mornings and check rounds.

Cattle

Pre-calving management
Nutrition critical
Calving paddocks ready
Monitor closely

Sheep & Goats

Lambing/kidding begins
Close monitoring essential
Shelter ready
Colostrum supplies on hand

Poultry

Production improving
Natural daylight increasing
Reduce supplemental lighting
Order chicks for spring

Bees

Spring preparation
Check queens
Add supers if needed
Early spring flow possible

Self-Sufficiency Focus

The Late Winter Gap

This is traditionally the “hungry gap” – winter crops are finishing, spring crops aren’t ready yet. Prices at markets reflect this. If you’ve preserved well through summer and autumn, now’s when it pays off. If not, remember this feeling for next year’s planning.

Energy Outlook

Heating needs are declining but not gone. Solar output is improving noticeably. By late August, you should be generating more than early winter. This is a good time to service your solar system before the high-production months.

Priority planting Potatoes, spring crops

Seedling focus Tomatoes, capsicum indoors

Check irrigation Systems ready for spring

Key Takeaways

Potato month: Prime planting time in frost-free areas
Full Moon: August 28 – note: a partial lunar eclipse occurs on this date but is not visible from Australia (Americas, Europe, Africa only)
Lambing begins: Intensive livestock management period
Seedlings indoors: Continue tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant
Hungry gap: Food prices rising – between seasons
Spring approaching: Wattle blooming, days lengthening

Methodology: Climate figures for the Subtropical zone are Bureau of Meteorology 30 year averages. Astronomical times are computed with Skyfield and the NASA JPL DE421 ephemeris for Brisbane (Brisbane time). Planting and harvest windows come from the GardenBuddy.au zone planting master.