Arid growing guides

All vegetables and herbs we have planting guidance for in Arid Australia. Click a crop for the full guide, when to plant, soil temperature, days to harvest, pest watch.

These guides are written for the Arid / Semi-Arid zone, which takes in Alice Springs, Broken Hill and Port Augusta. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.

Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Perth

Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.

See what grows now in your own postcode

What the weather normally does here

Thirty years of daily records, averaged over every postcode in the Arid zone, month by month. The highlighted row is the month we are in now. Planting windows on the crop pages follow these numbers, so if your own patch runs colder or wetter than the zone, shift them by a few weeks.

Arid / Semi-Arid zone, monthly averages 1991 to 2026
Month	Day °C	Night °C	Rain mm	Wet days
Jan	37	23	61	6
Feb	36	22	57	5
Mar	33	19	37	3
Apr	30	15	17	2
May	25	10	16	2
Jun	21	7	13	2
Jul	21	6	12	2
Aug	24	8	7	1
Sep	29	12	11	2
Oct now	32	16	19	3
Nov	34	19	39	5
Dec	36	21	47	6

Hottest day on record in the zone 49.0°C (January), coldest night -5.8°C (June). Wettest month is January. A wet day is 1 mm or more. Averaged across 10 postcodes in the zone, so your own patch will run a little warmer, cooler, wetter or drier than this. SILO Data Drill, Queensland Government, CC BY 4.0.

Browse by crop (A–Z)

Abiu Acerola Achacha Adzuki Bean Almond Amaranth Angelica Anise Apple Apricot Artichokes Asparagus Asparagus pea Atemoya Avocado Banana Basil Bay Tree Climbing Beans Dwarf Beans Beetroot Bergamot Bitter Melon Black Salsify Black Sapote Blackberry Blueberry Borage Bottle Gourd Boysenberry Brazilian Spinach Breadfruit Broad Beans Broccoli Broccolini Brussels Sprouts Burdock Cabbage Calamondin Calendula Cape Gooseberry Caper Capsicum Carambola Caraway Carob Carrot Cashew Cassava Catnip Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Celtuce Chamomile Cherimoya Cherry Chervil Chestnut Chia Chickpeas Chicory and Radicchio Chilean Guava Chilli peppers Chinese cabbage Chinese Water Chestnut Chives Choko Choy Sum Citron Coconut Collards Comfrey Coriander Corn Salad Cowpeas Cucamelon Cucumber Culantro Cumin Cumquat Currants Curry Leaf Custard Apple Daikon Date Palm Davidson Plum Dill Dragon Fruit Edamame Edible Chrysanthemum Eggplant Egyptian Spinach Elderberry Endive Feijoa Fennel Fenugreek Feverfew Fig Finger Lime Florence Fennel French tarragon Gai Lan Galangal Garden Cress Garlic Garlic Chives Ginger Goji Berry Gooseberry Grape Grapefruit Grumichama Guava Hazelnut Holy Basil Honeydew Melon Horseradish Hyssop Jaboticaba Jackfruit Jerusalem artichoke Jicama Jujube Kale Kangkong Kiwiberry Kiwifruit Kohlrabi Komatsuna Krachai Lablab Bean Lavender Leek Lemon Lemon Balm Lemon Verbena Lemongrass Lentils Lettuce Lilly Pilly Lima Bean Lime Liquorice Loganberry Longan Loquat Lovage Luffa Lychee Macadamia Makrut Lime Malabar Spinach Mandarin Mango Mangosteen Marrow Marshmallow Medlar Mexican Tarragon Mibuna Mint Mitsuba Mizuna Moringa Mulberry Mung Bean Mustard greens Myoga Nashi Nasturtium Nectarine NZ Spinach Oca Okinawa Spinach Okra Olive Onion Orange Oregano Pak Choy Pandan Papaya Parsley Parsnip Passionfruit Peach Peanut Pear Peas Pecan Pepino Perilla Persimmon Pigeon Pea Pine Nut Pineapple Pistachio Plum Pomegranate Pomelo Popcorn Potato Pumpkin Purslane Queensland Arrowroot Quince Quinoa Radish Rambutan Raspberry Rhubarb Rocket Rockmelon Rosella Rosemary Rue Mushroom Plant Rutabaga Saffron Crocus Sage Salad Burnet Salsify Sapodilla Summer savory Winter savory Shallots Silverbeet Snake Beans Snow Peas Sorrel Soursop Spinach Spring onion Summer squash Stevia Strawberry Sugar Apple Sugar Cane Sunflower Surinam Cherry Sweet Corn Sweet Granadilla Sweet Marjoram Sweet Potato Tamarillo Tamarind Tangelo Tansy Taro Tatsoi Thyme Tomatillo Tomato Tree Onion Turmeric Turnip Upland Cress Vietnamese Mint Walnut Watercress Watermelon Wax Gourd White Sapote Winged bean Winter squash Yacon Yam Yuzu Zucchini

Looking for what to plant THIS month? See the planting calendar, pick your zone and get the current month's recommended crops.

This zone has its own bookGarden Year 2027: Arid Zone$39.95 · See the book →

Other zones

If Arid isn't your zone, try one of these:

Tropical Subtropical Warm Temperate Cool Temperate Cold Highland Mediterranean