Why "All Regions" Never Really Works for Planting Dates
Frost-tender crops like tomatoes, basil, zucchini and capsicum can't simply follow one calendar across the whole country. In Cool and Tableland regions, frost risk commonly lingers right up to Melbourne Cup Day (the first Tuesday in November) — a genuine, well-known piece of Australian gardening folklore, not just an old wives' tale. Plant these crops out too early in a frost-prone area and a single cold snap can wipe out young seedlings overnight.
Subtropical regions run the opposite way — minimal frost risk means an earlier start and a longer season. Tropical regions are different again: frost isn't the limiting factor at all, it's the wet season. Most vegetables are grown in the dry season (roughly May to October), while the wet season limits practical choices to genuinely heat and humidity-tolerant varieties.
How This Tool Adjusts for Your Region
Every plant in this database is classified as frost-tender or frost-hardy. Frost-tender crops get their planting window shifted later for Cool/Tableland regions and earlier for Subtropical regions, while frost-hardy crops (like brassicas, root vegetables, and most hardy herbs) need little to no adjustment, since cold doesn't threaten them the same way. Tropical regions use a genuinely different dry-season-based window rather than just shifting the same months around.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a solid general guide that holds in most seasons, but not a guarantee — some years run early, others run late, and a late frost has caught out gardeners who planted right on the traditional date. Treat it as a good starting reference, not a certainty, and keep an eye on your local forecast in the days around it.
Pick whichever region most closely matches your local conditions, particularly your frost risk and typical winter minimums. Elevated or inland pockets within an otherwise temperate area often behave more like Cool/Tablelands, even if the nearest big city is classified as temperate.
Because the limiting factor genuinely changes. Southern regions plan around frost and spring warm-up; tropical regions plan around the wet and dry seasons instead. Most vegetables are grown in the dry season (roughly May–October) when humidity and rain are lower and disease pressure drops.
Yes, this is standard practice, especially in Cool/Tableland regions. Starting tomato, capsicum, chilli or eggplant seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before your region's outdoor planting window gives them a head start without risking frost damage, ready to transplant once conditions are safe.