What to Plant in February in Australia

Australian note: this page follows southern-hemisphere seasons, so February is in summer. The lists below are grouped by five climate zones: temperate, subtropical, tropical, arid and cool. The Australian Vegetable Garden Planner uses the same five zones. For every crop across the year, see the Australian vegetable planting calendar.

Seedlings in shops may still be summer crops, but the crops you want in June go in from now. Sowing your own seed gets the timing right. During dry spells, water deeply and less often so roots grow down.

What to plant in February, by climate

Australia spans five growing climates, so one list cannot fit all of them. Find yours below, then read the notes for that climate. February falls in Australian summer.

Crop lists show what both Gardenate and Deep Green Permaculture list for that climate. The two share a common lineage, so we treat them as one view and use ABC Organic Gardener's monthly column as the independent check. "Start under cover" marks heat-lovers those lists include that ABC advises keeping out of cold soil.

Where three sources agree in February

These 9 crops are given for February by all three of the Perth (WA Waste Authority), Adelaide (Green Adelaide) and Melbourne (City of Darebin) guides. They are temperate-zone city sources, not a statewide rule, so treat them as a cross-check and not a promise for Sydney, Canberra, Hobart or anywhere in the tropics or arid inland.

Temperate and cool gardens in February

• Late February is the time to get stuck in.
• Sow broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, mustard, chicory, lettuce, Asian greens, rocket, leek, spring onion, celery, fennel, carrot, parsnip, turnip, radish, beetroot, silverbeet and coriander.

Subtropical gardens in February

• A long list: amaranth, lettuce, chicory, mustard, silverbeet, Asian greens, cucumber, pumpkin, zucchini, squash, sweet corn, eggplant, capsicum, tomato, potato, chilli, beans, beetroot, carrot and parsnip.
• After flooding, wait until the soil is no longer waterlogged.
• In frost-free areas, late summer and autumn suit tree planting better than spring: try citrus, guava, lychee, avocado and mango.

Tropical gardens in February

• It is the wet season across the Top End, with cyclones possible in the north.
• Keep to crops that cope with heavy rain and humidity, and keep beds well drained.

Arid and inland gardens in February

• Still too hot for most planting.
• In frost-free areas, try fast dwarf cucurbits. Protect any seedlings with shadecloth and keep them well watered.
• With shelter and time to water, you can start winter vegetables from seed.

Garden jobs for February

• Water deeply and less often in dry spells.
• Weed in hot, dry weather and lay weeds on the soil as mulch, removing any seed heads first.
• Summer-prune fruit trees, cutting new growth by half to keep them manageable.

Plan February on paper

Draw your beds in the free Vegetable Garden Layout Planner Tool, then keep the season together in the Australian Vegetable Garden Planner, which has a sowing chart for every climate. See every crop across the year in the Australian planting calendar, or read the growing guides.

Month by month

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

Questions about February

Common questions

Sources

• ABC Organic Gardener: What to plant in February
• Deep Green Permaculture: Australian gardening calendars
• Gardenate: Australia planting by zone, February
• ABC Gardening Australia: Top tomato tips

How we checked this

The table above uses three Tier 1 (government) sources for the temperate zone. We read the Perth and Adelaide guides on 4 November 2026 and checked the Melbourne guide on 3 November 2026.

• Green Adelaide, South Australian Government (Tier 1): what to plant when, the month lists and the plant-any-time list for Adelaide.
• Waste Authority of Western Australia (Tier 1): Edible School Garden Guide, the planting and harvest guide for Perth.
• City of Darebin, Victoria (Tier 1): Sow what when guide for Melbourne.

Sydney, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin, Cairns and Alice Springs lists have not been checked against a Tier 1 month table. The crop lists in the climate cards above come from the sources named in the Sources list and have not been changed by this check.

Added 4 November 2026: a Common questions section for February. They use only the two state-government guides above (Green Adelaide and the Waste Authority of Western Australia), and only where both lists were read. We show where the two guides differ and who says what. We did not add an answer for Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Canberra or Darwin because no state-government month table was reached for those places.

Last reviewed: 31 October 2026