This guide will tell you what you can plant, how long before you can expect produce, and give you a plan for the plants that you will plant next.
Spring has sprung! Warmer weather waked us all from our winter hibernation and motivates us to get into the garden.
Two golden rules:
Don’t plant too early!
Remember The Footy Season Rule! Late September/Early October is perfect for most plants.
Don’t plant too late!
Get your plants established before the hot weather arrives, they will be more able to withstand the heat and you will have them out of the garden at the perfect time for winter plantings.
Tips before you get started:
1) Some plants are quick to harvest and are fast to expire. If you have any plants that have expired mid-season, replace them with another fast to harvest variety.
2) Don’t replace long to harvest plants with another long season plant as you will severely impact the planting of the next most important planting time (winter crops). I choose dwarf beans as they are hardy, productive, fast to produce, and as they are nitrogen fixers – they improve the soil ready for the crop planted after them.
Study this list and make a plan!
[wpdm_package id=’1391′]Spring Planting Guide
Asian Greens (Bok Choy,etc)
Plant Seedlings: Early Sept – Early Oct.
Harvest Produce in: 10 – 14 weeks.
Growing Season: Fast to harvest. Have them out of the ground by Christmas as they won’t survive the heat. Replace with Beans. Cool weather plants will replace the Beans.
Basil
Plant Seedlings: Late Sept, Oct, Early Nov.
Harvest Produce in: 8 – 12 weeks.
Growing Season: Plant in early Spring. Basil be in your garden all summer and will start forming seeds, becoming less sweet, and the leaves will begin to thin in the very hot weather. Straight swap with cool weather plants in March.
Beans (Dwarf, Runner
Plant Seedlings: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan.
Harvest Produce in: 10 – 14 weeks
Growing Season: Plant in early Spring and will be producing by Christmas. Replace with another batch of Beans once they are expired and you will have cropped to harvests in time for winter veg planting late March.
Beetroot
Plant Seedlings: September.
Harvest Produce in: 10 – 14 weeks.
Growing Season: Plant early Spring. Harvest before Christmas. Replace with Beans. March planting of your cool weather plants replace the beans.
Capsicum
Plant Seedlings: Late Sept, Oct, Early Nov.
Harvest Produce in: 10 – 14 weeks.
Growing Season: Plant mid Spring. Will form green fruits from January with red fruit produced from Autumn. Replace with Garlic in April/May.
Chives
Plant Seedlings: Any Month
Harvest Produce in: 10 – 14 weeks.
Growing Season: All Year. Tough customer in hot weather. Can get a couple of years out of the same batch.
Cucumber
Plant Seedlings: Early Sept – Early Oct.
Harvest Produce in: 10 – 12 weeks.
Growing Season: Pick fruit regularly to promote additional fruiting. Replace with beans once the cucumber plant has expired. March planting of your cool weather plants replace the beans.
Eggplant
Plant Seedlings: Late Sept, Oct, Early Nov.
Harvest Produce in: 16 – 18 weeks.
Growing Season: Long harvest time so get in early. Replace with cool weather plants in for early April plantings.
Pumpkin
Plant Seedlings: Late Sept, Oct, Early Nov.
Harvest Produce in: 16 – 18 weeks.
Growing Season: Plant in spring and you will be harvesting in Autumn. Replace with cooler weather plants in late April. Onions and garlic are good varieties.
Radish
Plant Seedlings: All Year.
Harvest Produce in: 4 – 8 weeks.
Growing Season: Fast to harvest. Can replace beans as the ‘gap crop’ between early summer harvests and the onset of cool weather planting.
Rocket
Plant Seedlings: Early Sept – Early Oct.
Harvest Produce in: 8 – 12 weeks.
Growing Season: Will become bitter and seed as the hot weather arrives. Rip them out in January and replace with Beans. Cool weather plants replace the beans in early March.
Rockmelon
Plant Seedlings: Late Sept, Oct, Early Nov.
Harvest Produce in: 16 – 18 weeks.
Growing Season: Fruits will ripen in the hot weather. The plant will be in the garden all summer so replace with cool weather plants at the beginning of March.
Silverbeet
Plant Seedlings: Early Sept – Early Oct.
Harvest Produce in: 12 – 16 weeks.
Growing Season: A tough customer but need a lot of water to pull them through the summer. A better idea is to have them out of the ground by Christmas. Replace with Beans and be planting your Winter crop on schedule in March.
Spring Onions
Plant Seedlings: All Year.
Harvest Produce in: 12 – 14 Weeks.
Growing Season: All Year. Tough Customer in hot weather. Can keep the same crop for a year or more.
Squash
Plant Seedlings: Late Sept, Oct, Early Nov.
Harvest Produce in: 8 – 12 weeks.
Growing Season: Pick fruit regularly to promote additional fruiting. Replace with Beans. Cool weather plants replace Beans.
Sweet Corn
Plant Seedlings: Late Sept, Oct, Early Nov.
Harvest Produce in: 12 – 16 weeks.
Growing Season: Plant in a box formation. Water well. Replace with Beans in Mid/late January and be on target for cooler weather seedlings to replace the beans in late march.
Sweet Potato
Plant Seedlings: Sept, Oct, Nov.
Harvest Produce in: 20+ weeks.
Growing Season: Will be a resident of your garden for a couple of years. Good plant if your soil is on the poor side.
Tomato
Plant Seedlings: Early- Mid Oct, Early Nov.
Harvest Produce in: 12 – 16 weeks.
Growing Season: Plant deep and prepare for long wait before you can harvest ripe fruit. Will be replaced by cool weather plants in early March.
Watermelon
Plant Seedlings: Late Sept, Oct, Early Nov.
Harvest Produce in: 12 – 16 weeks.
Growing Season: Will ripen in the hot weather. Will be in the garden all summer. Replace with cool weather plants in mid March.
Zucchini
Plant Seedlings: Late Sept, Oct, Early Nov
Harvest Produce in: 10 – 14 weeks.
Growing Season: Pick fruit regularly to promote additional fruiting. Replace with Beans in mid January. Cool weather plants replace the beans and you will be ready to plant your cool weather crops in March as planned.
