Climate Zones for Australian Gardeners
Knowing your climate zone will help you decide the best time to sow the vegetables, herbs and flowers you want to grow, and which varieties should perform well in your garden. Growing plants that are suited to your climate zone will usually give you the best results in your garden.
How to Use Climate Zones
First, find your climate zone using the map or descriptions below. Next, refer to our sowing chart, which provides approximate sowing times for our most popular seeds for each climate zone.
While knowing your climate zone is helpful when planning your garden, there are many other factors that may affect how your plants grow, including unseasonal weather conditions, the specific microclimate of your garden and how you care for your plants. You know your garden better than us, so if a different climate zone seems to ‘fit’ your garden better, go ahead and use it as a guide.
Our climate zones cover huge areas of Australia, so we recommend gardeners also consider their local conditions when planning what and when to plant. For example, gardeners in alpine areas have shorter growing seasons than gardeners in cool coastal areas, even though both alpine and coastal areas are included in our ‘Cool Temperate’ climate zone. We recommend gardeners in cool regions look at the ‘days to maturity’ information provided for each variety and choose those that will mature in a short (6-12 week) growing season.
Tropical
- Includes: Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Exmouth
- High humidity summers with most rainfall in summer and dry, warm winters. Includes northern Australia from Exmouth (WA) across to south of Townsville (Qld).
- Set as my climate
Arid
- Includes: Alice Springs, Mildura, Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo
- Hot dry summers, winters can be warm or cool depending on the region. Includes a large area of central Australia from the WA coast to Charleville (Qld), Tamworth (NSW) and Albury-Wodonga (NSW/Vic).
- Set as my climate
Subtropical
- Includes: Brisbane, Bundaberg, Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Mackay, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast
- Warm humid summers with high summer rainfall and mild winters. Includes coastal Queensland and northern NSW from north of Mackay to just south of Coffs Harbour.
- Set as my climate
Temperate
- Includes: Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Toowoomba, Central Coast NSW, Wollongong, Bunbury
- Moderate humidity and reliable rainfall, with four distinct seasons. Includes coastal areas from north of Port Macquarie to south of Woollongong in NSW, coastal SA and the southeastern coast of WA.
- Set as my climate
Cool Temperate
- Includes: Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mt Gambier
- Low humidity with most rainfall in winter; hot dry summers and cold winters. Some regions will experience frosts and snow. Includes coastal areas of south-eastern Australia and alpine areas of Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
- Set as my climate
Climate Zones FAQ
What if I can’t find my climate zone?
If you can’t locate your zone from looking at the map or the descriptions on this page, we suggest that you think of
an area that has a climate that’s similar to yours and use the zone for that area as a guide.
What if I live on the border of two zones?
If you live near the border between two zones we suggest you read the descriptions for both zones and decide which
best describes the climate where you live. Depending on the microclimate in your garden, you may be able to grow a
wider range of plants over a longer season than others in your zone. Lucky you!
What is a microclimate?
A microclimate is a small area where the temperature or humidity differs to the climate of the surrounding area. For
example, if you live in a climate zone where frosts are common but your garden is protected by buildings or large
trees, your garden may be frost-free. Similarly, if you live in a warm temperate zone but your garden is at a high
altitude your microclimate may have more in common with the cool temperate zone, so use this as a guide when
deciding which zone is relevant to you.
Can I grow varieties not listed for my climate zone?
While our climate zones and sowing chart will help you decide what is suitable to plant in your garden, they provide
general guidance only. We recommend you start by sowing seed that’s recommended for your climate zone; once you get
a few successes under your belt you can experiment with varieties in neighbouring zones and see how you go –
gardening is all about experimenting after all!
Below are answers to some of the common questions we get asked:
I live in Western Australia or Tasmania. I'm worried about Quarantine. Can you post orders to me?
Yes. More info on Quarantine here.
We can post to every state in Australia. There are some items that are restricted in certain states though; these are all marked in the item descriptions, eg: "NOT TO WA".
We check all orders before posting.
What payment methods do you accept?
Please read our postage and payment section.
I don't live in Australia, can I place an order?
Please view the list of countries we sell to here.
What is the "Best Before" date of my seeds?
We sell seed that is viable at the time of sale, viability will slowly decrease over time. We will only sell you products that are fresh and viable, but the life of the products is dependent on how you the customer store them. For this reason we recommend our customers only buy products near the time they intend to use them. Seeds should be stored in a dark, dry, cool place. More on seed storage here.
Do you have a "Bricks and Mortar" store I can visit?
No, we are an online only business.
I live closeby, can I pick up my order?
Sorry no, we do not allow pick up of orders.
Do I need to register to place an order?
No. Registration is optional.
Why should I register?
Registering allows you to:
- checkout quicker on future visits
- save shopping lists
- quickly check the status of your order
- review products and comment on blogs
Are your seeds genetically modified?
No. More about our seeds here.
What do the symbols on my seed packet mean?
Please read our Understanding our Sowing Information page.
How long will it take to process my order? How long does postage take?
We process orders as quickly as possible, it is our aim to get orders into the post at the first opportunity. Please refer to the Postage and Payment page to see our current dispatch time. We use Australia Post and numerous couriers to deliver orders, expected delivery times are from 2-20 business days depending on your location. If you have not received your order within a reasonable time-frame please contact us.
Please note we will only process your order after we have received your payment.
Note: Orders to Western Australia and Tasmania may be subject to additional delays due to inspections by Quarantine.
What size are your seed packets?
Our standard seed packets are approximately 85 x 50mm.
Our custom printed seed packets are 70 x 120mm in size.
Do you sell gift vouchers?
Can I clear the entire contents of my shopping cart?
Yes. Please click the link below to remove ALL items from your shopping cart. Warning cannot be undone!
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Do you combine postage?
We cannot combine postage on multiple orders (ie if you place multiple orders they will be sent separately).