Late spring is a time of rapid growth in the garden, with fresh new shoots, leaves, buds and flowers appearing on an almost daily basis. Spend a little time in the garden each day observing this growth and anticipating the harvests ahead. A few minutes spent training vines and tomatoes and controlling weeds, snails and other pests now will pay dividends in summer.
If you missed planting earlier in spring, plant fast-maturing crops for a quick summer harvest. Bean (bush or climbing), bunching onion, lettuce, radish, zucchini, basil, chervil and chives can all be harvested about 60 days after planting. Similarly, alyssum, cosmos, californian poppy and nasturtium grown from seed will provide summer blooms in around 10 weeks.
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
Succession plant leafy greens, brassicas and root crops for a steady supply. Corn, celery and beans can also be started now, as can seeds for perennial asparagus and rhubarb. While gardeners in warmer climates have a head-start on the season, in cold climates tomato seedlings are traditionally planted out at the start of November - that's right now!
- Cucurbits: Bitter melon, cucumber, gourd, luffa, summer squash, pumpkin, rockmelon, watermelon, winter squash, zucchini.
- Nightshades: Capsicum, Cape gooseberry, Cossack pineapple, chilli, eggplant, tomato.
- Legumes: Bush bean, climbing bean, winged pea.
- Brassicas: Chinese cabbage, mizuna, mustard. Cold Climates only: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower.
- Leafy greens: Amaranth, celtuce, cress, endive, lettuce, garland, rocket, silverbeet.
- Root Crops: Beetroot, burdock, carrot, kohlrabi, mangel wurzel, parsnip, radish, salsify, swede.
- Stalks: Celery, celeriac, corn, Florence fennel, asparagus (seed), rhubarb (seed).
- Heat Lovers: Artichoke, okra, passionfruit, rosella, sweet potato.
Herbs
Many medicinal herbs can be planted over the warmer months. These herbs can add diversity to the garden as well as having interesting uses in salves, teas and tinctures. Fast-maturing herbs including basil, chives, chervil and coriander can be planted now to use or give away at Christmas. Harvest culinary herbs regularly to keep the plants compact and producing fresh new leaves.
Flowers
The full range of warm season flowers can be planted in November. As well as warm season annuals, November is also a good time to establish perennials such as butterfly bush, lavender and yarrow from seed.
