What to Plant in September in Australia

Australian note: this page follows southern-hemisphere seasons, so September 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.

The weather warms, but there are still cold days, rain and wind. Early spring is the best time to mulch garden beds, while the soil is moist and slowly warming.

What to plant in September, 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. September 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 September

These 17 crops are given for September 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 September

• Plant Asian greens, rocket, spinach, beetroot, cabbage, carrot, turnip, radish, broccoli, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes and silverbeet.
• Hold back cucurbits, tomatoes and corn until the risk of frost has passed, or start them indoors or in a protected greenhouse.

Subtropical gardens in September

• Plant corn, carrots, beetroot, lettuce, basil, rocket, beans and spring onions.
• A good time for eggplant, chilli and capsicum, and tubers such as turmeric.
• Rockmelon, zucchini and cucumber can go in, but watch for powdery mildew nearer summer.

Tropical gardens in September

• Plant snake beans, rosellas, okra, zucchini, cucumber, sweet corn, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.
• Use shadecloth for tender young plants, and take care with water.

Arid and inland gardens in September

• Plant quick growers before the heat: radishes, turnips, Asian greens, rocket, bush peas, lettuce, mustard and kale.
• Get potatoes in early in the month.

Garden jobs for September

• Mulch beds while the soil is moist.
• Plant the last bare-root deciduous trees and shrubs.
• Plant container-grown trees through spring.

Plan September 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 September

Common questions

Sources

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