September is when the Australian food garden really starts to move.
Across southern Australia, longer days and gradually warming soil bring the first big planting opportunities of spring. In warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens, September can be one of the busiest sowing months of the year. Tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and zucchini start joining the leafy greens and root crops that have carried the garden through winter.
But Australia is a big place, and September means something very different in the north. In the Top End, the productive dry season is drawing to a close and the hot, humid build-up is beginning. That means switching away from cool-season vegetables and towards crops such as sweet potato, okra and snake beans.
Here’s what to plant in September in Australia, broken down by growing climate.
Cool Temperate
September might officially be spring, but cool temperate gardeners shouldn’t pack away the frost protection just yet.
In Tasmania, Canberra, the southern highlands and other cold districts, soil can remain chilly and late frosts are still possible.
Plant now:
- Leafy greens: lettuce, silverbeet, English spinach, rocket, mizuna, mustard greens and pak choi
- Roots: beetroot, carrots, parsnip, radish, turnip and swede
- Brassicas: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts
- Other: potatoes, onions, spring onions, asparagus and globe artichokes
- Legumes: peas, snow peas and broad beans
- Herbs: parsley, coriander, chives, dill, thyme and oregano
This is a great month to concentrate on reliable cool-season vegetables while preparing beds for the warmer crops to come. Tomatoes and other frost-sensitive summer vegetables can be started under protection, but there’s no prize for getting them into cold ground too early.
Warm Temperate
September is prime planting time through warm temperate areas including much of coastal NSW and similar mild districts.
As soil temperatures rise, the choice of crops expands rapidly. There's stacks of things that you can plant now like beetroot and leafy greens through to tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins and zucchini.
Plant now:
- Leafy greens: lettuce, silverbeet, rocket, spinach, mizuna, mustard greens and pak choi
- Roots: beetroot, carrots, parsnip, radish and potatoes
- Brassicas: broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower and kohlrabi
- Fruiting crops: tomato, capsicum, chilli, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, sweet corn and melons
- Legumes: dwarf beans, climbing beans, peas and snow peas
- Herbs: basil, parsley, coriander, chives, dill, oregano and thyme
Where frost is no longer an issue, start moving warm-season seedlings into their permanent positions. Getting trellises and stakes installed at planting time saves wrestling with large plants later.
Mediterranean
September is a brilliant month for food gardening in Mediterranean climates such as the Adelaide Plains and coastal Perth.
Winter rainfall has left soil moisture available, while warmer days allow summer crops to establish before the really hot, dry weather arrives.
Plant now:
- Leafy greens: lettuce, silverbeet, rocket, kale, pak choi and radicchio
- Roots: beetroot, carrots, parsnip, radish, swede and potatoes
- Fruiting crops: tomato, capsicum, chilli, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, rockmelon and watermelon
- Later in the month: pumpkin
- Legumes: beans, peas and snow peas
- Herbs: basil, parsley, coriander, dill, chives, fennel, mint, oregano and thyme
Summer irrigation is worth thinking about now too. Establishing crops before serious heat arrives is much easier than trying to nurse newly planted seedlings through the first hot spell.
Arid
September is a major seasonal change in arid gardens.
Around Alice Springs and similar inland areas, the window opens for the first substantial warm-season planting. Local arid gardening guidance notes that most summer vegetable seed can be started from late August through September, while gardeners still need to keep an eye on late frosts.
Plant now:
- Leafy greens: lettuce, silverbeet, rocket, mizuna and mustard greens
- Roots: beetroot, carrots, radish, turnip and potatoes
- Brassicas: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and kohlrabi
- Fruiting crops: tomato, capsicum, chilli, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, corn and melons
- Legumes: beans, plus a final early-month planting of peas or snow peas
- Herbs: basil, parsley, coriander, dill and chives
Water management becomes increasingly important from here. Prepare soil with plenty of organic matter and mulch around established plants before the intense heat of late spring arrives.
Savannah
September is not the beginning of a traditional southern-style spring garden in Savannah country.
It is the beginning of the transition out of the dry season. Temperatures are climbing, humidity is increasing and the best planting choices are crops that can cope with the approaching build-up and wet season.
Plant now:
- Leafy greens: water spinach, Malabar spinach and amaranth
- Roots: sweet potato
- Fruiting crops: okra, pumpkin, sweet corn, chilli and eggplant
- Legumes: snake beans and cowpeas
- Herbs: basil, lemongrass and chives
Rather than filling every empty space, use September to start transitioning the garden. Productive dry-season crops can finish while heat-loving plants establish and drainage is prepared for the rain ahead.
Subtropical
September is one of those wonderfully flexible months in subtropical food gardens.
Warm-season crops can go in confidently, while there is still enough mild weather to squeeze in fast leafy greens and root vegetables.
Plant now:
- Leafy greens: lettuce, silverbeet, rocket, mizuna and pak choi
- Roots: beetroot, carrots, radish, potatoes and sweet potato
- Fruiting crops: tomato, capsicum, chilli, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, corn, melons and okra
- Legumes: climbing and dwarf beans
- Herbs: basil, parsley, coriander, chives, oregano and thyme
The trick is getting summer vegetables established before the combination of heat, humidity and heavy rain makes life harder later in the season.
Tropical
Tropical gardeners still have plenty of options in September, but the garden is beginning its shift towards heat-loving crops.
Plant now:
- Leafy greens: water spinach, Malabar spinach, amaranth, silverbeet and mustard greens
- Roots: beetroot, carrots, radish and sweet potato
- Fruiting crops: tomato, capsicum, chilli, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, okra, corn and melons
- Legumes: beans, snake beans and cowpeas
- Herbs: basil, chives, parsley and lemongrass
Exactly when the transition happens will depend on where you garden. The closer you are to the hot, monsoonal Top End, the sooner heat- and humidity-loving crops should take centre stage.
Spring starts differently everywhere
September is a reminder that there is no single Australian planting calendar.
Cool-climate gardeners can still be protecting seedlings from frost while subtropical gardeners are planting their summer crops and Top End growers are already preparing for the wet.
Plant for the conditions in your backyard rather than the date alone, and September can set up months of productive harvesting.
For more seasonal guidance and support as your garden changes through the year, Grow It Local+ can help you keep growing with the season.