What to Plant in October in Australia

Australian note: this page follows southern-hemisphere seasons, so October is in spring. 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.

Mid-spring brings warm weather and rain. In the south, cold nights and even frosts are still possible, so protect tender seedlings. It is a great month to plant evergreen fruit and nut trees almost anywhere in Australia.

What to plant in October, 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. October falls in Australian spring.

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 October

These 18 crops are given for October 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 October

• Once your last frost date has passed, plant tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum, eggplant, chilli, beans, sweet corn, zucchini, cucumber, pumpkins and melons.

Subtropical gardens in October

• The same summer list applies, and it is a great time for ginger, galangal, turmeric, taro and okra in frost-free areas.

Tropical gardens in October

• Plant banana suckers, ginger, galangal, turmeric, sweet corn, taro, cassava, yams and okra.
• Much of the north is still in its dry period, with real fire risk.

Arid and inland gardens in October

• Plant the summer list once frost has passed.
• Keep water up for new plantings as the heat builds.

Garden jobs for October

• Plant evergreen fruit and nut trees, such as citrus, macadamias, guavas, avocados and mangoes.
• Water new trees once a day for a week, once a week for a month, then once a month for a year.
• In very cold areas, plant true heat-lovers such as eggplants and melons later in October or early next month.

Plan October 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 October

Common questions

Sources

• ABC Organic Gardener: What to plant in October
• Deep Green Permaculture: Australian gardening calendars
• Gardenate: Australia planting by zone, October
• 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 October. 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