Late autumn is when growth in the garden really starts to slow, allowing busy gardeners to pause, take a breath, and assess their garden in a new light. It's the perfect time to work on the 'structure' of a garden, whether that's planting trees, transplanting shrubs, building new garden beds or just thinking about what to plant in the year ahead. It's also a great time of year to work on your soil; collecting and mulching autumn leaves, turning over the compost heap or adding organic matter to soil will all have long-lasting benefits.
Read on below or click the following links to browse a range of seeds to sow now in your climate:
▩ Cold Climate: Tasmania, Melbourne, Mt Gambier, Canberra, etc.
▩ Moderate Climate: Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, etc.
▩ Warm Climate: Brisbane, Bundaberg, Carnarvon, etc.
▩ Tropical Climate: Broome, Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, etc.
Not sure which climate? Click here.
Vegetables
As the weather cools in May it's time to sow alliums, leafy greens and root vegetables. Shelling, snow and sugarsnap peas can all be planted, as can broad beans in preparation for an early spring harvest. Shallots and walking onions can be sown or planted now through winter, while strawberry runners planted now will establish over winter and fruit in spring and summer.
- Brassicas: collards, Chinese cabbage, mustard, kale.
- Leafy greens: endive, lettuce, mizuna, silverbeet, spinach.
- Roots and stalks: beetroot, carrot, celeriac, celery, kohlrabi, radish.
- Legumes: shelling pea, snow pea, sugarsnap pea, broad bean.
- Alliums: bunching onon, shallot, chives, garlic, leek, onion, walking onion.
- Strawberry runners: all varieties.
Flowers
Late autumn is a good time to germinate many Australian wildflowers and daisies. Conditions are right to sow quick-growing alyssum, marigolds and nasturtiums to brighten up cool season containers. May is also the time to sow flowers that will add colour to cottage gardens, including flowering bulbs. For a continual supply of cut flowers, succession plant sweet william, baby's breath and larkspur.
- Natives: Billy buttons, everylasting daisies, paper daisies, bottle tree, eucalypt, hardenbergia, kangaroo paw.
- Containers: alyssum, balloon flower, cornflower, daffodils, impatiens, jonquils, lobelia, marigold, nasturtium, pansy, viola.
- Cottage garden: aquilegia, Canterbury bells, candytuft, daffodils, snapdragon, nigella.
- Cut flowers: carnation, baby's breath, jonquils, larkspur, sweet william.
Microgreens
Microgreens are the very young shoots of edible plants, including salads greens, herbs and vegetables. They're an excellent crop to grow in the cooler months when outdoor production starts to slow down. You only need a little time and space to produce home-grown produce that's packed with colour, flavour and nutrition. Learn more about growing microgreens here.
Browse microgreen seeds here.
