Herbs to Sow in February in Australia, Zone by Zone

Finely divided coriander leaves growing thickly

The short version: February starts the autumn herb bed. Cool and alpine gardens sow coriander, dill, chervil and parsley; temperate gardens sow dill, chervil and parsley, then coriander from March. Mediterranean, subtropical and arid gardens hold most of these until March or April, though chives can go in, and tropical gardens wait for April. Tropical, subtropical and arid gardens can still sow basil. Sow late in the day under shade cloth. Let dill, coriander and basil flower for insects and seed, but cut fennel flower stems before seed forms.

By February the basil is at its most generous, the dill has opened into yellow umbrellas and the spring coriander stands as brown seed heads. It looks like the end of the herb year.

For most gardens it is the start of the next one, if you can coax cool-season seed up from soil that still feels like summer.

Plan the cool-season herb bed in late summer

Coriander, parsley, chervil and dill are the late-summer sowings for autumn and winter picking. The vegetable beds have their own February list.

Choose afternoon shade in February and winter sun, for example east of a fence or under a deciduous tree.
Dig in a 5 cm layer of compost, but keep fresh manure away from coriander, as it can burn young roots.
Rotate, and sow in place. These carrot-family herbs share aphids and seedling rots with carrots, so avoid last season's carrot bed, and coriander, dill and chervil often bolt (run to flower) after being moved.

Herb	Sow depth	Germinates at	Comes up in	Thin to
Coriander	6 to 10 mm	10 to 25°C	7 to 21 days	15 to 20 cm
Chervil	3 to 5 mm	Best at 13 to 20°C	10 to 14 days	20 to 25 cm
Dill	2 to 6 mm	18 to 24°C	7 to 21 days	20 to 30 cm
Parsley	3 to 10 mm	About 10 to 30°C	2 to 5 weeks	20 to 30 cm

Getting cool-season seed up in February heat

Coriander and chervil struggle most in warm soil. If a soil thermometer reads above 25°C at seed depth in mid-afternoon, shade and mulch the bed for a few days, rake the row clear, then sow; or wait for a milder week.

Sow late in the afternoon and water the row in, so the seed takes up water as the soil cools.
Shade the row with 30% to 50% shade cloth on hoops, well above the soil. Chervil needs light to germinate, so use cloth rather than a board.
Keep the surface damp with a light watering each morning, and again on hot, windy afternoons. A dry crust can lose a whole sowing.
Soak untreated parsley seed overnight; sow coated seed dry.
Use fresh seed: chervil keeps about a year, and parsley one to two years, as how long seeds last explains.

Lift the cloth on mild days once seedlings grow, so they do not stretch.

Summer herbs at their peak

Pick basil, oregano and mint generously, and preserve the surplus. Cut in the morning once the dew dries, just before flowering, taking at most a third of a perennial. Rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage dry well; basil, parsley, chives and dill keep more flavour frozen. Blend basil with a little oil before freezing it in ice cube trays.

In the heat, water at the base early in the morning, or late afternoon as second best. Hold off feeding, pruning, sowing and planting out until extreme heat breaks, and do not spray oils above about 30°C (or the label's limit) or onto thirsty plants, as they scorch leaves. Shade small pots, and after the heat move cramped herbs to a bigger pot.

Let some summer herbs flower

Leave a few plants to flower rather than pulling every one that bolts. See also the February flower list. The flat flower heads of coriander, dill and bolted parsley feed small parasitic wasps and adult hoverflies, many of whose larvae eat aphids. Flowering basil feeds the bees. Cut dill and coriander heads before they shed, unless you want seedlings across the bed.

Hoverfly feeding on yellow dill flowers — Dill left to flower feeds adult hoverflies, many of whose larvae eat aphids.

Saving seed from dill, coriander and basil

Let the seed dry on the plant, cut the heads into a paper bag, rub the seed out and dry it fully, a week or more, before storing it labelled, airtight, cool and dark. Save from several healthy plants, choosing the coriander slowest to bolt.

Coriander: cut the heads once most of the round seed is light brown, before it drops, and dry them on paper for a week.
Dill: cut the heads as the seed browns and hang them upside down in a paper bag somewhere warm and airy until the seed falls.
Basil: save open-pollinated varieties, as seed from an F1 hybrid such as 'Prospera' does not breed true. Let one variety flower at a time, since basils cross, and skip plants that had downy mildew or Fusarium wilt, which can travel on seed. Cut spikes once most pods are brown, rub out the black seed and sieve off the chaff.

Round green coriander seeds on the plant — Coriander seed is ready to cut once most of it has turned light brown, before it drops.

Why fennel is the exception

Fennel spreads along roadsides and creek lines, and Victoria and Tasmania both list it as a declared weed. Our Florence fennel seed is not sent to either state. Wherever you garden, cut its flower stems before seed forms; the Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment explains how fennel spreads.

Herbs to sow in February, zone by zone

What to Sow Now has the full list for your zone. The zones are broad groupings, so near a boundary, follow local signs such as the usual first autumn frost.

Tropical

Darwin in the Northern Territory, Cairns and Townsville in Queensland, Broome in Western Australia. In the middle of the wet, sow basil, Thai basil and tulsi in pots you can carry under cover when rain sets in, since wet leaves invite downy mildew. They pick from April or May, into the dry season. Culantro stands in for coriander, which waits for April with dill, chervil and parsley.

Subtropical

Brisbane and south-east Queensland, northern New South Wales. February is the last month for basil, tulsi and shiso. Sow chives, and parsley late in the month into a free-draining bed; coriander, dill and chervil wait for March.

Arid and semi-arid

Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Broken Hill in New South Wales, Mildura in Victoria, Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. February is still high summer: sow the last basil and shade it in heatwaves, and sow chives and parsley under shade cloth late in the month. Chervil waits for March, coriander for April and dill for May.

Temperate

Sydney and the New South Wales coast, Melbourne in Victoria. February opens chervil's autumn window, and dill, parsley and chives can be sown with afternoon shade. Coriander waits for March, and basil sowing ended in January.

Mediterranean

Perth and southern Western Australia, Adelaide in South Australia. Sow chives and prepare a shaded, mulched bed. Adelaide sows coriander, dill and chervil from March, and parsley mostly from July; Perth sows parsley, chervil and dill from March and coriander from April.

Cool and alpine

Tasmania, Canberra in the ACT, Ballarat in Victoria, Orange and Armidale in New South Wales, Stanthorpe in Queensland. February sowing matters most here: sow coriander, dill, chervil and parsley direct to establish before frosts from about April, and pick the dill before then. Parsley stands through winter; chives can go in too.

Two cautions

Herbs in oil: fresh or part-dried herbs in oil can grow the botulism bacterium, so refrigerate them at 5°C or below and use within four days, or freeze them.
Hose water left in the sun can scald seedlings, children or pets, so run it onto the ground until it runs cool.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sow coriander in February?

In cool and alpine gardens, yes. Elsewhere the soil is usually too warm: temperate, subtropical and Adelaide gardens start in March, and Perth, arid and tropical gardens in April.

Why did my February seed not come up?

Usually the surface dried out or the soil was too hot; parsley can also take five weeks. Resow under shade cloth, or wait for a cooler week.

Can I cook with the coriander and dill seed I save?

Yes, once fully dry. Cook with your own seed or spice-shelf seed, not leftover sowing seed, which may carry a fungicide coating.

Is February too late to sow basil?

Not in the tropics, where it can be sown any month. February is the last month in subtropical and arid gardens, and elsewhere sowing ended in January; see our basil growing guide.

A pinch of seed at the cool end of a hot day, and a few seed heads left to brown, set up the herb bed for the cool season.

Related growing guides

Find every variety among our herb seeds, or begin the autumn bed with coriander seeds.