The short version: Basil is the one herb every Australian zone can sow in January, and for Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and the cool districts it is the last basil month on our calendar. The tropics and subtropics add tulsi, culantro and lemongrass. Cool and temperate gardens can sow parsley and dill for autumn, and cool gardens chervil too. Coriander waits until February in cool districts, March or April elsewhere. Sow into shade and check seedbeds daily.
By January the spring basil is tall and pushing flower spikes, and a packet of seed can look like a poor bet against the heat.
It is a better bet than it looks, if the seed goes into shade and gets checked daily.
Basil: a late sowing for a fresh start
Every zone can sow basil in January, but in the south it is the last month on our calendar. Subtropical and arid gardens have until February, and the tropics sow it year round.
Young plants from a January sowing take over as the spring ones tire. The December herb list has the first summer sowings. Sow 2 to 6 mm deep in trays in bright shade; seedlings show in 5 to 14 days. Harden them off before they go into full sun. In cool districts keep basil in a pot: cold nights usually end outdoor picking in March, but a pot moved to a bright, warm windowsill can keep producing for weeks longer.
Further north, tulsi, or holy basil, germinates best uncovered, so press its seed onto damp mix. Culantro gives a strong coriander flavour in heat that sends coriander to seed, given shade and constantly moist soil.
Getting seed up in midsummer heat
Shade the seedbed and keep its surface damp until the seedlings are up. The same method raises winter brassica seedlings in summer heat. Herb seed sits in the top 10 mm, the layer that dries and heats first, and research on Australia's semi-arid tropics calculated that mulch can cut the soil surface temperature by up to 20Β°C. Chervil germinates best at 13 to 20Β°C and dill at 18 to 24Β°C.
- Give parsley, dill and chervil morning sun and afternoon shade.
- Sow all three direct, or one to three seeds per cell planted out young, to spare their taproots.
- Soak untreated parsley seed overnight and sow it 3 to 10 mm deep. Just cover dill (2 to 6 mm) and chervil (3 to 5 mm), which germinate better with some light.
- Prop shade cloth over the row.
- In hot, dry weather, check morning and evening and water whenever the surface dries. Chervil shows in 10 to 14 days, dill in 1 to 3 weeks and parsley in 2 to 5 weeks.
Start the autumn herbs, or have the seed ready
Cool districts can sow parsley, chervil and dill in January, and temperate gardens parsley and dill. In the cool zone, late-summer parsley stands through winter.
Hold coriander back. A midsummer sowing can flower within four to six weeks, so no zone has it on our January calendar. The first month from January that each herb can be sown:
| Zone | Parsley | Chervil | Dill | Coriander |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical | April | April | April | April |
| Subtropical | February | March | March | March |
| Arid and semi-arid | February | March | May | April |
| Temperate | January | February | January | March |
| Mediterranean | March | March | March | March, Perth April |
| Cool and alpine | January | January | January | February |
Keep a supply coming into autumn
Sow small amounts often. Dill sown every 2 to 4 weeks keeps leaf coming, because summer rows can flower within about seven weeks, and a fresh parsley row takes over as old plants flower.
- Anise needs about 120 frost-free days to ripen seed, so January suits it in the subtropics; elsewhere, wait for spring, or March in the tropics.
- Lovage, a long-lived perennial in cooler gardens, is sown in spring in most zones, to December in temperate and cool gardens, and April to June in the tropics.
- Cress goes outdoors in January in cool districts; a windowsill tray of garden cress suits any month.
Water young seedlings gently at soil level each morning until rooted, then deeper and less often.
Pick often, and keep basil out of flower
Regular picking keeps herbs leafy, and basil needs it most in January. Heat and dry soil can push basil to flower, which slows leaf growth. Cut stem tips above a leaf pair about every two weeks, leaving at least half the plant. Nipping off a flower spike alone can prompt more lower down, so cut a budding stem at least four leaf pairs below it.
Cut parsley as whole outer stems from the base, chives a section at a time, and no more than a third of a thyme or oregano plant.
Wet summers: damping off and leaf disease
Where January is wet, raise seed under cover. The tropical wet season and humid subtropical storms suit damping off, which rots seed or topples seedlings at soil level. Business Queensland names Pythium and Rhizoctonia as its main causes: both spread in rain splash and contaminated mix, and Pythium thrives in wet soil. Sow thinly into fresh mix, keep trays on a covered bench, water from below in the morning and lift any lid once seed is up.
Basil downy mildew, yellow patches with grey-purple fuzz beneath, thrives on leaves wet overnight, so space plants 20 to 30 cm apart and water the soil in the morning.
Keeping the glut
Dry the woody herbs and freeze the soft ones. Rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and mint dry well. Parsley, chives and dill freeze well chopped in ice cube trays of water; blend basil with a little oil first, because frozen raw it turns black. Herbs air dry easily in summer around Perth, Adelaide and the inland, while humid coasts call for a dehydrator.
A caution on pesto and herbs in oil
Pesto and fresh herbs in oil are not shelf stable. Oil shuts out air, which suits Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium behind botulism; CSIRO lists pesto among its past sources. Keep them in the fridge at or below 5Β°C and use them within four days, or freeze them. CSIRO explains why oil does not preserve herbs.
Herbs to sow in January, zone by zone
What to Sow Now lists every herb for your zone. The January vegetable list covers the rest of the bed. The zones are broad groupings, so between two, go by local cues such as your first autumn frost.
Tropical
Darwin in the Northern Territory, Cairns and Townsville in Queensland, Broome in Western Australia. In the wet season, basil, Thai basil, tulsi and culantro can all be sown, but heavy rain washes fine seed away, so sow in covered trays and keep basil in pots you can move. Lemongrass has its last month.
Subtropical
Brisbane and south-east Queensland, northern New South Wales. Sow basil, Thai basil, tulsi, culantro, anise and, in its last month, lemongrass. Parsley is off the calendar until February, because hot, wet summers bring root rot and leaf blight.
Arid and semi-arid
Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Broken Hill in New South Wales, Mildura in Victoria, Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. Heat holds most sowing back. Basil and tulsi are the exceptions, and it is tulsi's last month: start them in trays in bright shade, then mulch, water deeply and shade plants in heatwaves. Parsley and chives return in February.
Temperate
Sydney and the New South Wales coast, Melbourne in Victoria. Basil and culantro have their last month. Sow parsley, dill and chives, giving dill afternoon shade because January rows flower sooner.
Mediterranean
Perth and southern Western Australia, Adelaide in South Australia. Basil, in its last month, is the January herb: raise it in shade and mulch before planting out. Chives return in February.
Cool and alpine
Tasmania, Canberra in the ACT, Ballarat in Victoria, Orange and Armidale in New South Wales, Stanthorpe in Queensland. Prime time for autumn herbs: sow parsley, chervil, dill, chives, chamomile, cress and a last pot of basil, shading chervil from the heat. Sowing closes after February for dill and after March for parsley, chervil, chives and chamomile.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sow coriander in January?
Better to wait: February in cool districts, later elsewhere, as the table shows. In tropical, subtropical and temperate gardens, culantro gives coriander flavour through the heat.
Is January too late to sow basil?
No. Every zone can sow it; the basil growing guide has each zone's dates.
Why do my seedlings collapse at soil level?
Usually damping off, favoured by wet, crowded, stuffy trays. A collapsed seedling cannot recover, so remove it, let the surface dry and resow thinly in fresh mix.
Can I still sow anise and lovage?
Anise, yes, in the subtropics. Lovage is a long-lived perennial, so waiting for its spring sowing costs little.
Sow the late basil, get the parsley going, and leave the coriander packet on the shelf a little longer.
Related growing guides
- Starting winter brassicas in summer heat
- Pinching out, the Chelsea chop and the summer cut-back
- Herbs to sow in February, zone by zone
- Herbs to sow in December, zone by zone
- What to sow in January: vegetables for every zone
- Flowers to sow in January, zone by zone
- Pinching basil to stop it flowering
- Why coriander bolts, and how to keep picking
- Harvesting, drying and storing herbs
Browse basil seeds for the late summer sowing, or parsley seeds for autumn.