Cool Temperate growing guides

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

These guides are written for the Cool Temperate zone, which takes in Melbourne, Hobart and Geelong. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.

Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Canberra Alice Springs 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 Cool Temperate 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.

Cool Temperate zone, monthly averages 1991 to 2026
Month	Day °C	Night °C	Rain mm	Wet days
Jan	26	14	50	6
Feb	26	14	42	5
Mar	24	12	42	6
Apr	20	10	55	7
May	16	7	56	9
Jun	14	6	65	10
Jul	13	5	63	11
Aug	14	6	68	11
Sep	16	7	66	11
Oct now	19	8	67	10
Nov	21	10	66	9
Dec	24	12	57	7

Hottest day on record in the zone 47.6°C (February), coldest night -5.2°C (June). Wettest month is August. A wet day is 1 mm or more. Averaged across 28 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: Cool Temperate$39.95 · See the book →

Other zones

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

Tropical Subtropical Warm Temperate Cold Highland Arid Mediterranean