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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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September 2026 Farmers Almanac

Planting, moon and climate guide for the Cool Temperate 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
Cool Temperate	15-18°C	7-10°C	55-80mm	Cold snaps still possible. Variable but improving.

Astronomical Events

Spring Equinox – September 23: The Spring Equinox lands on September 23 at 10:05am AEST, one of the four major turning points of the solar year.

Moon Phases

🌗

Last Quarter

Sep 4

🌑

New Moon

Sep 11

🌓

First Quarter

Sep 19

🌕

Full Moon

Sep 27

Sunrise / Sunset

Days lengthening rapidly toward the equinox. Here’s the change across the month:

City	1st	15th	Last	Daylight change
Melbourne (AEST)	6:42am – 5:58pm (11h 16m)	6:21am – 6:10pm (11h 49m)	5:57am – 6:23pm (12h 25m)	+69 min

Trend: Nearly an hour gained in all cities. The equinox (Sep 23) brings equal day and night.

Planting Guide

Cool Temperate 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 (seed tray)
Artichokes (seed tray)
Basil (seed tray)
Beetroot (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Borage (sow direct, seed tray)
Broccoli (seed tray, transplant)
Cabbage (seed tray, transplant)
Cape Gooseberry (seed tray)
Capsicum (seed tray)
Carrot (sow direct)
Celeriac (seed tray)
Chilli peppers (seed tray)
Chives (seed tray, transplant)
Collards (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Coriander (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Dill (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Eggplant (seed tray)
Endive (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
French tarragon (cuttings or divisions)
Ginger (rhizomes)
Horseradish (root cuttings)
Jerusalem Artichokes (tubers)
Kale (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Kohlrabi (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Leeks (seed tray)
Lemon (grafted tree, potted)
Lemon Balm (seed tray)
Lettuce (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Mandarin (grafted tree, potted)
Mint (cuttings or divisions)
Mizuna (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Mustard greens (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
NZ Spinach (seed tray)
Onion (transplant)
Orange (grafted tree, potted)
Pak Choy (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Parsley (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Parsnip (sow direct)
Peas (sow direct)
Potato (seed potatoes)
Radish (sow direct)
Rocket (sow direct)
Rosemary (cuttings or potted plants)
Rutabaga (sow direct, seed tray)
Sage (seed tray)
Salsify (sow direct)
Savory – summer savory (seed tray)
Savory – winter savory (seed tray)
Silverbeet (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Snow Peas (sow direct)
Spinach (sow direct, transplant)
Spring Onion (sow direct, seed tray, transplant)
Squash (seed tray)
Sweet Marjoram (seed tray)
Thyme (sow direct, seed tray)
Tomatillo (seed tray)
Tomato (seed tray)
Turnip (sow direct)
Yam/Oca (tubers)

Harvest

Angelica
Asparagus
Avocado
Broad Beans
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Chives
Coriander
Dill
Grapefruit
Kale
Leeks
Lemon
Lettuce
Mandarin
Mint
Mizuna
Mustard greens
Orange
Parsley
Peas
Radish
Rhubarb
Rocket
Rosemary
Rutabaga
Sage
Silverbeet
Snow Peas
Spinach
Thyme

Moon Planting Calendar

Phase	Dates	Best for
Waning (Full to Last Quarter)	Sep 1-4	Root vegetables, garlic, onions, bulbs. Pruning.
Waning (Last Quarter to New)	Sep 4-11	Soil preparation, composting, pest control. Rest period.
Waxing (New to First Quarter)	Sep 11-19	Leafy greens and herbs. Sow above-ground crops that fruit outside the plant.
Waxing (First Quarter to Full)	Sep 19-27	Fruiting crops – tomatoes, beans, cucurbits. Strongest above-ground planting energy.
Waning (Full to Last Quarter)	Sep 27-30	Root vegetables, garlic, onions, bulbs. Pruning.

Livestock Guide

Lambing and calving are peaking. This is the busiest stretch of the year for anyone running stock.

Cattle

Calving season peak
Close monitoring required
Pasture at best condition
Parasite treatment

Sheep & Goats

Lambing/kidding peak
Intensive monitoring
Marking and tagging
Mothering up

Poultry

Peak breeding season
Excellent hatch rates
Production strong
Free range ideal

Bees

Peak activity
Swarm prevention critical
Spring honey flow
Super management

Self-Sufficiency Focus

Energy Excellence

This is one of the best months for energy balance. Solar output is excellent, and you need neither heating nor cooling most days. If you’ve got batteries, you’re probably building up credits. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Priority planting All summer vegetables

Energy outlook Solar excellent, minimal heating/cooling

Key Takeaways

Spring Equinox: September 23 – major Gann date, equal day and night
Peak planting: All summer vegetables can go in now
Tomato time: Plant after last frost risk passes
Lambing peak: Intensive livestock management period
Spring gap ending: Fresh produce returning, prices starting to ease
Energy good window: Solar excellent, minimal heating/cooling

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