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!
- Grape sized fruits
- Also known as "Mouse Melon" or "Mexican Sour Gherkin"
- NOT TO WA
Description
Cucamelon
Melothria scabra
NOT TO WA
- Grape sized fruits
- Also known as "Mouse Melon" or "Mexican Sour Gherkin"
Vigorous climbing vine which produces small fruits that are grape sized and look like miniature watermelons. Flavour is similar to cucumber with a tangy citrus twist. Fruit can be pickled or eaten fresh. Fruits are 2cm long and oval shaped. Semi-drought tolerant once established. Can be grown in pots. Older fruits have a more sour flavour. Once vines lose their leaves in winter you can dig up the root which will have formed a tuber and store it in a cool dark place over winter to re-plant in spring which will produce a more abundant harvest in their second year.
Also known as "Mouse Melon" or "Mexican Sour Gherkin".
Container growing
Seeds per gram: 340
Product code: Z-10204_P
Best Months to Plant
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
| Cool | ||||||||||||
| Temperate | ||||||||||||
| Sub-Tropical | ||||||||||||
| Tropical | ||||||||||||
| Arid |
| Method | Sow direct or raise seedlings |
|---|---|
| Sowing Depth | 5mm |
| Season | Spring and summer |
| Germination | 10-14 days @ 22-28°C |
| Hardiness / Life Cycle | Frost tender Perennial |
| Row Spacing | 70cm |
| Plant Spacing | 60cm |
| Position | Full sun, moist well drained soil |
| Days Until Maturity | 100-150 days |
*Notes: Can take up to 3 weeks for seeds to germinate
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How To Grow
Shipping
We deliver Australia wide.
All orders are dispatched from our warehouse in Knoxfield, Victoria, Australia.
We do not deliver overseas.
Shipping cost is calculated using all the items in your shopping cart and your delivery postcode. The table below outlines the delivery options and costs.
Order dispatch time is currently 2-4 business days plus delivery time.
Please note we are unable to guarantee specific delivery dates or delivery timeframes, all delivery times are estimates only.
| Order contains: | Delivery options: | Delivery cost per order | |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIC, NSW, ACT, QLD, TAS, SA, NT | WA | ||
| Small seed packets ONLY - | Economy Delivery | $3.00 or FREE on orders over $25 | $5 |
| Parcel Delivery | Capped rate of $8.99 | ||
| Express Delivery | $15.00 | ||
|
BULK seed, garden supplies, tools, or accessories - |
Parcel Delivery |
Capped rate of $8.99 |
|
|
Express Delivery |
Starting from $15.00 (Calculated by weight) |
||
| Live Plants - | Live plants | Capped rate of $10.00 | |
*All orders sent to Western Australia are subject to mandatory inspection and fees by Quarantine WA. These fees are included in all shipping costs above.
**We will replace all orders that are lost or damaged in transit however we will not replace or refund orders simply because they were delivered later than estimated. Full details here.
Ratings & Reviews
Cucamelon
A surprisingly fun and hardy little plant! Survived well over the hot weather with very little water - had it on a drip system but other than a daily drip watering it was essentially neglected for most of summer! Haven't run into any pest problems yet despite mildew destroying the nearby zucchinis. I even had a plant that I thought was as dead as a door nail which resprouted a few months later and is going well. Producing quite a few tasty little fruits that taste like "upgraded cucumbers". Hoping to dig up the plant and try resprout it next year for more adorable cucamelons. Would recommend as a bit of a novelty to grow!
Cucamelon
I planted the seeds in probably around June (Newcastle region), so completely the wrong time. Had one or two plants germinate with extremely slow growth, was no more than 3cm tall after 4 months from the first sign of sprouting. At around October as it got warm growth has sped up a lot, also other seeds have germinated and are growing really well, noticeable difference in size even over a day or two. All the successful plants were direct sown but the ones I did try to raise were done at the wrong time of year so not a massive surprise there. Have eaten cucamelons before so it'll be cool to grow them.
