Start with living soil
Loosen compacted ground and work in compost. Food crops do best in soil that drains freely but still holds enough moisture between watering.
SEASONAL PLANTING GUIDE · SOUTH AUSTRALIA
What to plant now — and what comes next.
A practical month-by-month food-gardening guide built around the warm-temperate Adelaide Plains, with the local habits that matter in South Australia: good soil, careful water use, summer heat protection and a willingness to let the weather have the final say.
Adelaide Plains baseline · adjust for your own frost, elevation, exposure and heat.
RIGHT NOWSeptemberSpring in South Australia
THIS MONTH · SEPTEMBER
25 good things to plant now.
Do not plant the whole summer garden on the first warm day. Stagger sowings so harvests arrive over time rather than all at once.
Basil
Beetroot
Capsicum
Celery
Chilli
Chives
Coriander
Cucumber
Dill
Eggplant
Fennel
Kale
Melons
Mint
Pak choi
Parsley
Parsnip
Peas
Potatoes
Pumpkin — late month
Radicchio
Silverbeet
Swede
Tomato
Zucchini
BEFORE THE SEED PACKET IS OPENED
Get the growing conditions right first.
The calendar helps with timing. The garden still succeeds or fails on sunlight, soil, water and how well young plants are helped through South Australian weather.
Give food crops real sun
Fruiting plants such as tomatoes, eggplant and cucumber want around 8 hours of sun. Leafy greens and herbs can manage with less, but still appreciate about 6 hours.
Water for Adelaide, not habit
Water in the cool of morning or early evening. In summer, mulch about 5 cm deep, keep it clear of stems and have shade cloth ready before the hottest days arrive.
THE RELIABLES
Plants with a place almost any time.
For the Adelaide Plains, these are the flexible staples Green Adelaide lists as plantable throughout the year.
Bush beansCabbageLeekLettuceRadishRocketSalad onionsSpring onions
THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GROWING YEAR
Month by month, without the guesswork.
Use this as a warm-temperate Adelaide Plains baseline. South Australia spans cooler and hotter growing regions, so local frost, soil temperature and heat should always override a date on the calendar.
DECEMBER · JANUARY · FEBRUARY
Summer
Build the garden around heat, water and steady harvests.
12
December
Water when the soil is cool, keep mulch topped up and protect tender vegetables before forecast heatwaves rather than after damage appears.
Plant
01
January
Keep new sowings evenly moist, harvest summer crops often and give young plants protection on extreme-heat days.
Plant
02
February
Begin the autumn changeover while summer heat is still around; afternoon shade can help tender new seedlings establish.
Plant
MARCH · APRIL · MAY
Autumn
Reset the beds and lean into the great cool-season planting window.
03
March
Refresh tired summer beds with compost before the main cool-season planting window gets underway.
Plant
04
April
Cooler soil and autumn rain make this a generous planting month. Broad beans, peas and garlic can all find a place now.
Plant
05
May
Winter beds are settling in. Keep weeds down, maintain airflow and use insect netting where brassicas need protection.
Plant
JUNE · JULY · AUGUST
Winter
Use the softer light, cooler soil and winter rain — while watching drainage and frost.
06
June
Growth slows with shorter days, so avoid waterlogged soil and give crops the sunniest position your garden can offer.
Plant
07
July
Prepare for the spring transition, but do not assume the calendar means the cold has finished. Watch local frost and soil temperature.
Plant
08
August
Spring is close, but late cold still matters. Warm-season crops may need a protected start while cool-season beds keep producing.
Plant
SEPTEMBER · OCTOBER · NOVEMBER
Spring
Warm the garden up gradually, then build towards the summer abundance.
09
NOW September
Do not plant the whole summer garden on the first warm day. Stagger sowings so harvests arrive over time rather than all at once.
Plant
10
October
This is prime warm-season planting on the Adelaide Plains. Set up mulch and irrigation before summer heat becomes the main job.
Plant
11
November
Succession sow quick crops and keep a close eye on moisture. Young plants can dry fast when the first hot weather arrives.
Plant
SMALL HABITS · BETTER HARVESTS
The details that make a planting calendar useful.
Sow to the size of the seed
A practical rule is to sow seed about 2–3 times as deep as the seed is large. Tiny seed needs only a light covering; beans and peas can go deeper.
Stagger the planting
For crops you want over a long season, sow smaller batches every few weeks. It spreads the harvest and avoids a garden that ripens all at once.
Harden seedlings off
Give nursery seedlings a few days to adjust to outdoor sun and wind before planting them out permanently, keeping their small punnets watered while they adapt.
Protect, but keep pollinators
Fine insect netting can protect brassicas from cabbage white butterfly. Fruiting crops still need access for pollinators, so use barriers thoughtfully.
Grow up when space is tight
Climbing beans and peas make excellent use of vertical space. In small gardens, favour crops that can be harvested repeatedly such as herbs, lettuce, rocket and leafy greens.
Make water work harder
Compost improves water-holding capacity, mulch reduces evaporation and wicking beds can be especially useful in Adelaide’s hot, dry climate.
ONE STATE · MANY MICROCLIMATES
South Australia is not one planting zone.
Adelaide has a Mediterranean pattern of wetter winters and hot, dry summers, but the state also includes colder Adelaide Hills and South-East conditions and much hotter, drier inland regions. That is why this guide uses the Adelaide Plains as its baseline rather than pretending one date fits every garden.
FROM GARDEN TO TABLE
See what South Australia is giving us now.
Our Produce & Seasons guide follows the harvest rather than the sowing calendar — and shows how those ingredients move into a Southern Italian kitchen.
Explore Produce & SeasonsA TRADITION WE STILL REMEMBER
Planting by the moon.
Our grandparents also watched the phases of the moon when planting, grafting and harvesting. We preserve that tradition separately from this horticultural month-by-month guide.
Read the Moon Planting GuideLocal baseline
Planting windows are based on Green Adelaide’s current “What to plant when” guidance for the warm-temperate Adelaide Plains, reviewed August 2026.