Here’s my autumn planting guide for warm-temperate based vegetable patches (such as Melbourne). With the onset of autumn, your planting options change. I actually prefer growing vegetables over winter to growing during summer. Winter veggies require less care and attention. With the cool, wet Melbourne climate, winter vegetables practically grow themselves.
What to plant in March, April & May
Autumn planting of winter brassica vegetables
Traditionally winter veggie seedlings (and sweet peas) are planted out on or around St Patrick’s Day (17th March). There should be plenty to choose from at your local nursery including cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and kale.
Brussels sprouts take a long time to grow, so long in fact, that commercial growers usually start sowing them in November. For suburban gardeners, the rewards are not always worth the effort you put into growing Brussels sprouts. If you’re new to gardening, this autumn, I’d recommend that you focus on planting broccoli, kale and maybe some mini-cauliflowers. These are far easier to grow successfully.
Green or purple sprouting varieties of broccoli are great, because they can produce a crop of side shoots after the main head has been harvested. This extends your harvesting season.
When buying your seedlings, choose small, young plants. Avoid plants with tough looking stems that have been sitting around unsold for some time. These old seedlings tend to struggle to grow and then bolt (set seed) around July. Planting them is a waste of time, it is one of the top ten mistakes that I often see gardeners make!
Brassica crops will tolerate partially shady conditions, but will grow more strongly and quickly if planted in full sun. All brassicas need soil enriched with organic matter and decomposed, animal manure. They need lots of nitrogen, so if you are able to source some chook manure or worm castings, add it (or poultry manure pellets) to your brassica patch. Adding some good quality compost will also help them thrive. Check out this guide to transplanting seedlings for more information.
Brassica seedlings are prone to snail and slug attacks. Cabbage butterfly caterpillars can also wreak havoc with young plants. If planting them in March or April you will need to protect them from white cabbage butterfly with some insect netting. This prevents the butterflies from laying eggs on the seedlings.
Onions
If you are pressed for garden space, then I wouldn’t bother with growing onions. They take a long time to grow and can usually be purchased fairly cheaply from farmers markets or the green grocer. However if you have the space, then they are a fairly easy crop to grow.
Onions can be transplanted from punnets, but grow best from seed. Scatter the seed in furrows a few millimetres deep and water in well.
A few weeks after germination, thin the seedlings to 10 cm apart. Keep onion patches well weeded as they hate competition. Plan ahead and make sure you avoid planting in areas you wish to plant your next summer crops, as onions take a long time to mature. Usually you won’t be harvesting them until well into January.
Garlic
Garlic is so easy to grow. With only a small space, you can grow enough garlic to supply yourself for most of the year. Garlic bulbs should be planted in early autumn.
To grow garlic, you can use garlic purchased from the supermarket. However, we recommend that you source yours from a plant nursery to ensure that you’re getting a variety that is disease and chemical free. Carefully break the garlic head into individual cloves and plant them pointy end up. The cloves should be buried about 5 cm deep, and spaced about 20 cm apart.
Then all you need to do is ensure that they are watered regularly and keep the weeds at bay until harvest. It’s important to remember that just like onions, garlic takes a long time to reach maturity, and is not harvested until well into summer. So avoid planting it in a space you’ve earmarked for planting out in spring, or you’ll find your patch ends up double booked.
Peas
Looking to make the most of your small spaces? Peas are a great crop for autumn and winter. They’ll grow up a trellis and are great fun for the kids to pick and shell. What’s more, they are legumes, so they’ll fix nitrogen in the soil and help rejuvenate it.
Plant the pea seeds about 3-5 cm deep and water in well. Hold off any further watering until the seeds have germinated. Make sure you choose the right variety of peas for your garden. Dwarf and bush peas only grow to 60cm high, but telephone peas can reach 150cm high or more!
I recommend the variety ‘Melbourne Market’ (also known as Massey Gem) because it is a proven variety for Melbourne conditions and only grows to 50cm high. Sugar Snap peas are also a tasty choice.
Check out this guide to sowing seeds for more information
Broad Beans
Broad beans are up there with radishes, as one of the easiest plants to grow in your veggie patch.
March until early May is the ideal time to plant out broad beans in Melbourne. The great thing about broad beans is that they are ready for harvest in spring. This is a time when not much else is being harvested in the garden.
Sow broad bean seeds about 3cm below the surface and about 10-15 cm apart. They do not like wind and will benefit from protection. Consider tying some string between stakes to help support them as they grow.
I recommend growing the variety Coles Dwarf as they are hardy, and are one of the best varieties for handling strong winds. They’re also fairly resistant to rust, a fungal disease.
It’s always a good idea to let a few of the last pods to dry on the plant. Then you can collect bean seeds for sowing next year’s crop!
Leafy Greens
Lettuce, mustard greens, spinach and rainbow chard (silverbeet) will all grow well in autumn and into winter (albeit far slower than in summer). An economical option is to grow from seed. If you’re keen to get harvesting for salads earlier, then transplant as seedlings. Within about 8 weeks from sowing (less if planted from seedlings) you can start to harvest leaves from the outside of the plant. Read more on why I recommend that growers focus on planting leafy greens.
Herbs
You can start a herb garden at most times of the year, including autumn. Annual herbs such as parsley and coriander will grow well over the winter. You’ll now have to wait until spring to plant basil.
Like to know more?
The Vegetable Patch from Scratch series is popular with both novice and seasoned gardeners alike. It covers everything you might want to know about growing vegetables.
It might save you a bit of time and frustration by steering you away from preventable crop failures.
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Been great reading….. We have just built wicking beds…….. I am overwhelmed about how to start and manage compost…… So no rats appear!…… Any suggestions…. We r on a suburban block in Melb.
Hi Maryann, thanks for the great feedback. Composting can be a complex subject and worthy of an entire blog in itself. I’ll try and make it one of the next few blogs that I write. Stay tuned!
Hello I’m interested in composing a few ways. I just built my own Bokashi composting bin. Would love more details on how to use the juice and fermented scraps! Think I burnt my passion fruit vine after giving it a diluted drenching of juice and water! 😯
Hi Carmen,
Bokashi is essential fermentation (not composting). It’s a great way for people living in apartments etc to reduce the amount of food waste going to landfill. The juice is very acidic and should be diluted and used sparingly on your plants. The fermented scraps are best added to a compost system before being used in the garden.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
As I try to grow most things from seeds which have varying gestation times, could you please consider adding what to sow as well as what to plant in your monthly newsletter?
Hi Esther, we will look to include this information for you at some stage down the track. Generally speaking this information is applicable to both sowing seed and transplanting seedlings.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
I love reading your page,I followed your page when planting tomato seedlings,I had tomato’s growing every where so I supplied our court,I had saved Tom seeds from my local shop and started them in newspaper what started as sickly looking plants became 8 feet high and trusses of 12 on every bush they are a cherry type about 1 and 1/2 “ lve made rich sauces ,chilli Tomato jam,and tomato chutney All yum yum yum.we plant broad beans every year, have loads of garlic in, long string beans,lettuce,Japanese eggplant ,capsicum ,chillies, cucumbers.we have had a great season.
Thanks for the great feedback June! Looks like you’ve got a thriving veggie patch.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Thankyou very informative
Thanks Carol, glad you found it useful!
Perfect timing! I was unsure what I should be planting at this time of year and this post was exactly what I was looking for! I live in Northern Tasmania so our climates are very similar. Thank you!
Glad you found it useful Gemma. Please keep us updated on your garden as it progresses!
I have a couple of raised beds and always overcrowd I need to learn not to put too many seeds in one place as my carrots grew tiny and bunched up 😔
Thanks for sharing your experience Laura. If you over sow carrots, as often happens, then you can always thin them out by removing some of the plants. They don’t transplant well though, so don’t try to replant them.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
We are in the process of establishing our new veg and fruit garden in our new home we have just built for our retirement. We have 400mm high raised beds and look to be as self sufficient as we can and look forward to your planting advice etc.
Hi Tom, that’s great news. Please keep us updated as your garden grows. Good Luck and Happy Gardening! Duncan
Looking forward to more great advice and planting times.
Thanks Shanti.
Good Luck and Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Very useful seasonal vegetable planting guide for a beginner ??Thanks
Thanks Ainsley. Glad you found it useful. Good Luck and Happy Gardening!
I have smallish raised garden bed and would like to know what is the best soil preparation for a vegetable patch. I have just joined this group and look forward to reading advise and information from others.
Hi Diane,
Thanks for your inquiry. Are you talking about gardening in the ground, or in a raised garden bed? Either way, you can’t beat good quality, home-made compost to improve your soil. Failing that I’d work in some well rotted manures (anything but horse manure that will bring in weed seeds). Mushroom composts can be an economical way to do this in bulk. If you are growing in a raised garden bed, and you haven’t filled it yet then you can’t beat buying a quality, blended veggie mix from a garden supplies centre. Just be careful to check the product that you are getting to make sure that it’s going to support good veggie growth. Some of the veggie soil blends out there are very poor quality.
Please keep us all updated on how you get on!
Duncan
We want to learn about suburban gardening and gardening in pots
Thanks for your feedback. We’ll be including workshops on small spaces gardening in the future.
Stay tuned!
Duncan
would you please tell me what month do we plant for all trees. Thanks
Hi Frank,
In Melbourne, the best time to plant trees is late spring. The soil is starting to warm up and we usually have good rainfall without too much heat. This gives the trees a chance to establish themselves before the onset of the summer heat. Autumn is also a good time to plant trees, as long as they have a chance to establish before the cool weather sets in. Winter is the perfect time to plant dormant, bare-rooted fruit trees and other deciduous varieties.
Hope that helps. Good Luck and Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Thank you so much that is great help we are establishing Buddhist meditation centre for all Australians I am accountant background and live all my life in city never has experiencing in gardening your support is very helpful because I don’t want our plants because cost money therefore I ask your advice we are in 286 Central rd, Tylden Vic 3444 last winter is one night -6 degrees most of tropical plants are dead I am trying to recover but not sure if they are survive it is sad.
I have two vege plots aprox 2m x 1m each.
How many different veges can I grow here?
How much water should vege gardens have each day
In autumn approximately?
Thank you for your help
Regard
Trish
Hi Trish,
It’s great that you’ve got yourself set up with some veggie gardens. The short answer to your first question is lots! We ignore the spacing recommendations on the back of seed packs and seedling labels. Just cram them in. They’ll sort themselves out and grow strong and healthily. The main thing is to avoid bare soil and vacant space in the veggie patch!
As for the watering, that all depends on how much rain we’ve had (none lately), how hot it is, how windy it is, how well the garden is mulched, how big the plants are. The easiest way to tell if the plants are getting enough water is to stick your finger deep into the soil. If it is damp, then they are getting enough water. If the soil is dry – it’s time to water. The plants will also show signs of wilting (especially on hot days). Check the plants again once the temperature has dropped. If the leaves are still wilted, then the plants are not getting enough water. It’s important to try and avoid stressing your plants through lack of water, so if you are regularly finding the leaves are wilted, or the soil dry, then get into the habit of watering more regularly.
Good Luck and Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Starting a veggie garden in apple crates and need guidance on soil prep and when to start sowing veggies for seasons
Hi Vivianne,
That’s a very broad inquiry and would need to be covered in several blog posts! Did you have any specific questions? Otherwise signing up to our newsletter is probably a great place to start!
Good Luck and Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Hi I am knew to veg and fruit planting.
Previously I drove trucks interstate, I am recovering from a work accident. I now enjoy my time learning growing eating the produce. Hints advice of growing my garden and my compost will be most appreciated.
Hi Andrew,
I’m glad to hear you’ve found gardening as a great way to recover from your accident. Good luck with the recovery and happy gardening!
Duncan
I had sown broad beans..it’s leaves have curled up and the plant seems under stress. I had used NPK fertiliser ..is it due to that. I can’t see any pests on it though.
Sudhir
Hi Sudhir,
In past seasons we have noticed the growing tips of broad beans curling up. We think this is due to a mosaic virus being transmitted by whitefly or other sap suckers. The plants have always outgrown the issue, developed normally and produced good yields in the end. Without seeing the plants though, it’s hard for me to diagnose.
Good Luck and Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Good site.
Thanks for the feedback Gary!
Just experimenting growing Tomatoes from seeds re new seeds Cherry and Normal varieties and even seeds out of a grown tomato. Ive placed seeds into planting trays with an old rope light underneath and fluorescent lights above, the trays are encased in plastic domes and seedlings are going reasonably well with the true leaves just starting to come through.
My question is after i have transplanted them into 10cm pots would I leave them on heat lights or could I place them into a grow reflection tent under just lights?
Hi Glenn,
It really depends on the greenhouse and your set up. We find that bigger greenhouses don’t need any heating, but smaller ones do. Tomatoes like the soil to be consistently above 20 degrees C. We generally sow our seeds in July and aim to transplant into the garden in October.
Good Luck and Happy Gardening!
Duncan
My husband has great pleasure in reaping what he sows our vege garden is his pride and joy we are reaping loads of broad beans at the moment,it’s been a great season we have soooo many we can give some away .i found your site by accident and found it very interesting looking forward to your notes of interest
Hi June,
Thanks for the great feedback. I’m glad you’ve found our resources to be useful.
Good Luck and Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Hi guys
great write up,
I would love your opinion on something.
I have a greenhouse and was wondering if would be ok to start my seeds for cauliflower and broccoli in there as long as i left a roof vent open so it doesnt get hot in there or is that just a waste of time?
Any info would be much appreciated
Hi John, starting the seedlings in the greenhouse is fine. However be aware that they will germinate in only a few days. One problem with starting brassica seedlings early, is that if they become pot bound, then they start to bolt. Pot-bound seedlings lead to small flower heads. At this time of the year, the seedlings will grow rapidly in the greenhouse and therefore become pot bound quite early.
We generally sow our seeds in late March through to early April in the greenhouse for planting into gardens in late April to early May. The milder weather at that time of the year means that white cabbage moth is less of an issue.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Love this web page. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. My garden and l are much happier because of this.
Thanks for the great feedback Jo. Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
I have always had trouble with cabbage and cauliflower mainly bolting in the warmer months and I’m told I planted them too late?
I buy my punnets of seedlings the first week they go on sale at Bunnings in Spring.
Hi Vincent,
Timing is important when planting Brassicas in Melbourne. However, my guess is that you purchased plants that have become stressed by either being root bound or through lack of water. This induces them to bolt quite early.
You rarely see Brassicas in good condition in large hardware chains. The seedlings grow very quickly and soon get stressed. Far better to grow them from seed yourself. I think you’ll find you have much better success that way.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
ty verry much
Glad you found it useful Mircea!
Yes please add the kinds of beans we can grow from supermarket seeds including lentils. Thanks
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for the feedback. Beans wont survive Melbourne winters and are best planted in spring or early summer. We’ve included information about these in our spring planting guide.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Thankyou for this wonderful local information. We are new to gardening and totally hooked now !!!! Looking forward to growing lot’s of food all year round.
Thanks for the great feedback Sheree. Glad to see that you’re ‘totally hooked’.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Hi ; I live in the Dandenong’s with lots of trees & & inclement weather.
I see your recommendations for veg. variety. Where can I get these specific kind
Thanks heaps
Anne
Hi Anne,
You might need to hunt around – especially in these times of panic gardening! We find Diggers Club and Green Harvest are great resources for purchasing seed online.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Thanks for that… very informative.
Glad you found it useful Matthew. Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Thank you, appreciate your gardening hints; tips & advice.
Thanks for the great feedback Bryan!
Like to be informed of things to do in the garden and when to do them. Mainly vegatables.
Our newsletter is great for that Keith! Good Luck & Happy Gardening.
I live in an Aged Care Facility, South East of Melbourne, Victoria. I ‘m caring for the small garden that runs down by the foot-path that is along the side the residence. We’ve planted flowers: Geranium, pansies, bulbs, Tomatoes etc. I just wondering what is your suggestion of what to plant in the very near future.
Hi Margaret, thanks for the update, sounds like you’ve got a thriving garden. Anything in this autumn planting guide should be ok to plant now.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Possums- major destroyer of my gardening efforts. Recently came across ultrasonic and strobe lighting- does this work? Other ideas welcome.
Hi Robert,
please check out our blog post on possums. It’s got lots of different ideas for you to consider. We’ve trialed ultrasonic systems and they are often effective (and often not). It just depends on the situation.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Possums- major destroyer of my gardening efforts. Recently came across ultrasonic and strobe lighting- does technology work?
Hi Robert, we’ve got an extensive and comprehensive guide to controlling possums in our list of blog posts. The long and short of it is that possums are like people, each one is different. What works for one, doesn’t always work for the other. Also, prevention (before they locate your produce) is more effective than trying to stop them eating produce once they’ve found it.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
thanks for the eggshells advice; I had lots of small snails in my beans this year which was unusual.
No problem Kevin. Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
This is great information regarding gardening. I am a new to this field. Thank you 😊
Thanks Oosha, Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Thanks for a very informative site.
You mention the problem with horse manure bringing weed seeds into the vegetable garden. We live near a stables with a ready supply of manure, so do you have any suggestion on the best way to utilize it please?
Hi Ian, thanks for the great feedback.
You can use the manure, it’s just likely to bring in weeds, so you’ll be busy weeding all the time. Alternatively, you could put it into a hot compost to try and sterilise the weed seeds.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Hello,
Would you kindly advise me on easy efficient compost system.
I am a maturing female with Osteoporosis and find excessive digging and turning if soil/matter somewhat difficult.
Any thoughts, options or suggestions.
Certainly happy to purchase some sort of smaller unit if thought th be efficient and sustainable.
Many Thanks
Lyn
Hi Lyn,
I’m hoping to put together a decent blog post on this topic. However, for now, the short answer is that it sounds like a Hungry Bin worm farm would be perfect for you!
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Have just completed 4 wicker gardens made out of 1000lt plastic containers and was wondering what to plant now? I have just come across your site and am most impressed so I will try some of your autumn plantings. Thanks for a great site. Pete
Thanks for the feedback Peter.
Stay Safe & Keep Gardening!
Hi I just planted Basil seedlings from Bunnings although this site says they are not an autumnal herb to plant. Any ideas on how to make this successful???
Hi Jane,
It’s frustrating that they sell plants out of season and set gardeners such as yourself up for failure. You could try keeping it indoors on windowsill? Outside it is just destined for failure.
Stay Safe & Keep Gardening!
Duncan
Thanks
No problem, glad you found it useful!
What a wonderful helpful website just what I needed, I do use the egg shells in my garden but I found I had a problem with earwigs in the broccoli what can you suggest to help my broccoli grows well
Thank you
Hi Shirley,
I’m so glad you find our website useful. We have an article on controlling earwigs, you may find it helpful.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening
Duncan
What a great informative and helpful sites. Thanks
Thanks for the feedback Mark. Glad you have found it useful.
Thank you
Glad you found it useful Rakesh!
Doing my first winter veg crop, thank you for the advice on what to plant.
Thanks for the feedback Helen. Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Hi. What is the best action to take against white fly?
Hi Darren,
Whitefly outbreaks are usually resolved fairly quickly once predatory insects find them, so generally I don’t do anything. However, whitefly tend to appreciate high humidity and poor airflow around plants. So I would look at your plant spacing and see if you can increase airflow somehow.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Are there any costs involved for joining thanks
Hi Daksha, our monthly newsletter is FREE!!! there are no costs involved. We hope that you enjoy it and find it as useful as many others have.
Very interesting and informative.
Glad you’ve found it useful Pamela. Good luck with the growing season ahead!
Glad you have found it useful Pamela. Good Luck with the growing season ahead!
Great website & information
Thanks for the great feedback Bev.
Happy Gardening!
Duncan
new at growing veggies need all the help
thank you Pierina
Glad you’ve found the site useful Pierina.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Hi Duncan; it’s fascinating to read about your Kyneton garden – I used to live there, and I remember how extreme its climate was – mountain winters and desert summers, it seemed like! We live in Gembrook now, which is wetter but more moderate. A shortish growing season, but we extend it a bit with a little hot house.
I think I’ve found a way to keep rats out of the compost – I add a layer of used coffee grounds on top, every time I add the Bokashi kitchen scraps and duck house litter. The coffee grounds layer should be 1 – 2cm thick. The rats don’t seem to like coffee grounds.
We got some Trichogramma wasps a few years ago, and they seem to have permanently demolished the Codlin Moth problem in the orchard – but they don’t seem so effective against the Cabbage Butterflies and Heliothis. Only nets work for these, so far.
The wet spring caused some sort of fungal outbreak of tomato roots here – maybe Late Blight (?) so our tomatoes were rubbish; but everything else did pretty well – best cucumbers and capsicums ever; heaps of berries, and now figs and apples. What a crazy season.
All the best –
Hi Rose,
Thanks for you extensive response. It’s interesting that the rats don’t like the coffee grounds. Just keep in mind that coffee grounds have an allopathic effect and can act like a herbicide on your plants, so be careful of using very high quantities. We focus on using worm farms to keep the rats away from the food scraps.
Glad that the Trichogramma wasps have helped in your orchard. They are a naturally occurring predator and I see them often in gardens, especially wherever large numbers of caterpillars and other “pests” are congregating. I agree that nets are the best method for controlling the white cabbage butterfly, or just planting later in the season, when they are less prevalent.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Your site will come in handy. Just acquired a small patch to grow on but the soil is so dry. I’ve started a compost bin but need a quicker solution to regenerate the soil before planting in March.
Hi Deb,
Thanks for the great feedback. I hope the website continues to come in handy. You could try purchasing some compost for the garden? Alternatively maybe you can “borrow” some from a friend and repay them with some of yours down the track?
Good Luck & Happy Gardening!
Duncan
Would love to receive your newsletter, tha k you.
We hope you enjoy it Lisa!
Hello
Any advice on getting ontop of a severe spider mites infestation that is through our entire garden from edibles to ornamentals and doing some real damage. We try to use organic methods but are loosing hope of getting ontop of it.
Regards
Kylie
Hi Kylie,
Spraying them is a bit like treating the symptom without addressing the underlying cause. Focus on increasing airflow through the garden. Also providing great habitat for predatory insects who will feed on the mites and keep them under control. Our three part blog series on garden ecosystems will give you plenty of ideas on where to start.
Good Luck & Happy Gardening
Duncan
Thank you!!!
We are having insane rainfall in NSW at the moment. I wonder if I should cover my garlic so it doesn’t rot! Supposed to keep raining for the next week. Thoughts?
Hi Danielle
I find that actively growing garlic is pretty resilient to wet soil. I’d only be concerned if
a) they are newly panted cloves that haven’t shot yet
b) they’ve formed heads and are dying back (unlikely at this time of the year)
c) you have terrible soil drainage
In which case, I’m not sure that there’s anything you can do anyway! Perhaps a big cover might help though.
Good luck!
Thank you so much