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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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July 2026 Farmers Almanac

Planting, moon and climate guide for the Arid 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
Arid	16-20°C	3-8°C	8-12mm	Coldest month. Heavy frost. Pleasant days, very cold nights.

Astronomical Events

Southern Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower – peak around Jul 29-30: A steady southern shower, best after midnight.

Moon Phases

🌗

Last Quarter

Jul 8

🌑

New Moon

Jul 14

🌓

First Quarter

Jul 21

🌕

Full Moon

Jul 30

Sunrise / Sunset

Days are getting longer again post-solstice. Here’s the welcome change across the month:

City	1st	15th	Last	Daylight change
Alice Springs (ACST)	7:17am – 5:59pm (10h 41m)	7:16am – 6:04pm (10h 48m)	7:10am – 6:11pm (11h 01m)	+20 min

Trend: Days lengthening – Melbourne gains over half an hour. Spring is coming.

Planting Guide

Arid 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

Apple (grafted tree, potted or bare-root)
Asparagus (crowns)
Beetroot (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Cabbage (transplant)
Cape Gooseberry (seed tray)
Capsicum (seed tray)
Carrot (sow direct)
Chilli peppers (seed tray)
Collards (transplant)
Coriander (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Daikon (sow direct)
Eggplant (seed tray)
Endive (sow direct, transplant)
Horseradish (root cuttings)
Jerusalem Artichokes (tubers)
Kale (transplant)
Lettuce (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Mizuna (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Mustard greens (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Onion (sow direct, transplant)
Pak Choy (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Peach (grafted tree, potted or bare-root)
Pear (grafted tree, potted or bare-root)
Pecan (grafted tree, potted or bare-root)
Persimmon (grafted tree, potted or bare-root)
Plum (grafted tree, potted or bare-root)
Pomegranate (potted or bare-root tree, or cuttings)
Radish (sow direct)
Rhubarb (crowns)
Rocket (sow direct)
Savory – winter savory (seed tray)
Silverbeet (seed tray, transplant)
Snow Peas (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Spinach (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Spring Onion (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Tomato (seed tray)
Turnip (sow direct)
Walnut (grafted tree, potted or bare-root)

Harvest

Avocado
Beetroot
Borage
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Chinese cabbage
Collards
Coriander
Daikon
Dill
Endive
Fennel
Grapefruit
Horseradish
Jerusalem Artichokes
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lemon
Lemon Balm
Lettuce
Mandarin
Mizuna
Mustard greens
Orange
Pak Choy
Parsley
Parsnip
Peas
Radish
Rocket
Rosemary
Rutabaga
Sage
Silverbeet
Snow Peas
Spinach
Spring Onion
Thyme
Turnip

Moon Planting Calendar

Phase	Dates	Best for
Waning (Full to Last Quarter)	Jul 1-8	Root vegetables, garlic, onions, bulbs. Pruning.
Waning (Last Quarter to New)	Jul 8-14	Soil preparation, composting, pest control. Rest period.
Waxing (New to First Quarter)	Jul 14-21	Leafy greens and herbs. Sow above-ground crops that fruit outside the plant.
Waxing (First Quarter to Full)	Jul 21-30	Fruiting crops – tomatoes, beans, cucurbits. Strongest above-ground planting energy.
Waning (Full to Last Quarter)	Jul 30-31	Root vegetables, garlic, onions, bulbs. Pruning.

Livestock Guide

Late pregnancy management matters this month. Birth season is coming up fast.

Cattle

Mid-winter care
Supplementation critical for pregnant cows
Monitor for cold stress
Prepare calving areas

Sheep & Goats

Late pregnancy
Vaccinate for clostridial diseases
Lambing/kidding preparation
Shelter critical

Poultry

Production at annual low
Continue supplemental lighting
Warm water essential – prevent freezing
Order spring chicks

Bees

Minimal intervention
Check hive weight for stores
Emergency feeding if needed
Don't open on cold days

Self-Sufficiency Focus

Planning Season

This is actually the perfect time to plan your spring and summer gardens. The catalogues are out, the days are quiet, and you’ve got time to think about what worked and what didn’t last year. Order seeds now before popular varieties sell out.

Energy Management

Heating demand continues but solar output is slowly improving. By late July you’ll notice a slight uptick in daily generation. This is often the peak month for firewood consumption. Check your stores and source more if needed.

Priority now Order seeds, plan spring garden

Start indoors late month Tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant

Harvest focus Citrus, Brussels sprouts, roots

Key Takeaways

Coldest month: Heavy frost in most zones – protect sensitive plants
Day length increasing: Noticeable by mid-month post-solstice
Start seedlings indoors: Tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant late month
Order seeds: Popular varieties sell out – don’t wait
Birth prep: Lambing and kidding season approaching
Brussels sprouts: At their best after frost

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