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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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October 2026 Farmers Almanac

Planting, moon and climate guide for the Tropical zone

Updated 11 Oct 2026

2026 ENSO Update: El Niño is likely developing. Most climate models now forecast tropical Pacific warming right through spring and summer. That usually means below-average rainfall, above-average temperatures, and higher fire risk across eastern Australia. The Inigo Jones cycle (Bruckner dry phase) backs the drier read. Plan for drier conditions and higher fire danger.

Climate Overview

Zone	Max	Min	Rainfall	Conditions
Tropical	33-36°C	23-26°C	30-45mm	Build-up underway. Hot, humid, stormy. Pre-monsoon.

Astronomical Events

Orionids Meteor Shower – peak around Oct 21-22: Halley’s Comet debris, decent rates before dawn.

Moon Phases

🌗

Last Quarter

Oct 3

🌑

New Moon

Oct 11

🌓

First Quarter

Oct 19

🌕

Full Moon

Oct 26

Sunrise / Sunset

DST begins Oct 4 – clocks go FORWARD one hour. Days continue lengthening toward summer:

City	1st	15th	Last	Daylight change
Cairns (AEST)	5:59am – 6:14pm (12h 14m)	5:49am – 6:16pm (12h 27m)	5:39am – 6:21pm (12h 42m)	+28 min

*Oct 31 times in AEDT (daylight saving). Melbourne’s apparent gain includes clock adjustment.

Planting Guide

Tropical 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

Avocado (grafted tree, potted)
Banana (suckers)
Basil (seed tray, transplant)
Ginger (rhizomes)
Grapefruit (grafted tree, potted)
Lemon (grafted tree, potted)
Lemongrass (divisions)
Lime (grafted tree, potted)
Luffa (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Mandarin (grafted tree, potted)
Mango (grafted tree, potted)
Mulberry (potted or bare-root tree, or cuttings)
Mustard greens (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Okra (sow direct)
Orange (grafted tree, potted)
Papaya (potted seedlings)
Passionfruit (grafted vine)
Pineapple (suckers or tops)
Pumpkin (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Squash (transplant)
Sweet Potato (slips)
Winter squash (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Yam (tubers)
Zucchini (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)

Harvest

Amaranth
Asparagus
Banana
Basil
Beans – climbing
Beans – dwarf
Beetroot
Borage
Cabbage
Cape Gooseberry
Capsicum
Carrot
Celeriac
Chilli peppers
Chives
Collards
Cucumber
Daikon
Eggplant
Fennel
Fig
Garlic
Jerusalem Artichokes
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lemon Balm
Lemongrass
Lettuce
Lime
Mango
Mint
Mizuna
Mulberry
Mustard greens
NZ Spinach
Okra
Onion
Oregano
Pak Choy
Papaya
Parsley
Peach
Potato
Pumpkin
Rockmelon
Rosemary
Sage
Salsify
Savory – winter savory
Silverbeet
Spring Onion
Squash
Strawberries
Sunflower
Sweet Corn
Sweet Marjoram
Sweet Potato
Thyme
Tomatillo
Tomato
Watermelon
Winter squash
Yacon
Zucchini

Moon Planting Calendar

Phase	Dates	Best for
Waning (Full to Last Quarter)	Oct 1-3	Root vegetables, garlic, onions, bulbs. Pruning.
Waning (Last Quarter to New)	Oct 3-11	Soil preparation, composting, pest control. Rest period.
Waxing (New to First Quarter)	Oct 11-19	Leafy greens and herbs. Sow above-ground crops that fruit outside the plant.
Waxing (First Quarter to Full)	Oct 19-26	Fruiting crops – tomatoes, beans, cucurbits. Strongest above-ground planting energy.
Waning (Full to Last Quarter)	Oct 26-31	Root vegetables, garlic, onions, bulbs. Pruning.

Livestock Guide

Birth season is winding down. Weaner management is the job now and heat awareness starts for every mob.

Cattle

Late calving
Marking and tagging
Pasture at peak
Weaner preparation

Sheep & Goats

Marking, mulesing if practiced
Weaner education
Fly awareness (blowfly season)
Summer preparation

Poultry

Production at peak
Heat preparation beginning
Shade provision
Reduce flock if overcrowded

Bees

Spring honey harvest possible
Continue swarm management
Queen productivity check
Prepare for summer

Self-Sufficiency Focus

Strawberry Season

This is peak strawberry time. If you’re not making jam, you’re missing out. Buy in bulk from farmers markets – prices are at their lowest. Freeze what you can’t process immediately.

Fire Season Preparation

If you’re in a fire-prone area, now is the time to prepare. Clear gutters, rake up leaf litter, trim trees away from buildings, check your bushfire plan. Don’t wait until the first total fire ban day to think about this.

Priority harvest Asparagus, Beans – climbing, Beans – dwarf

Last plantings Papaya, Squash, Zucchini

Fire prep Clear gutters, reduce fuel loads

Key Takeaways

Daylight saving: October 4 – clocks forward, longer evenings
Strawberry peak: Harvest and preserve while abundant
Sweet potato time: Plant slips now for autumn harvest
Fire preparation: Clear gutters, reduce fuel loads
Orionids: Meteor shower peaks October 21
Heat approaching: Finish planting before it gets too hot

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