The short version: In October, subtropical, arid, temperate and Mediterranean gardens sow beans, sweet corn, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin and melons, and plant out tomato, capsicum, chilli and eggplant, once the soil holds about 16°C, warmer for zucchini, capsicum, chilli and eggplant, and frost has passed. Cool and alpine gardens keep those crops under cover until the last frost, often early November. Tropical gardens, entering the build-up, stick to heat lovers such as snake beans, amaranth, rosella and ginger.
The first warm Saturday in October sends many gardeners home with a punnet of tomatoes. Sometimes the timing is spot on. Sometimes the ground a hand's depth down is still cold, and the seedling sits there, faintly purple, until November catches up with it.
Sort October crops into three piles: straight into the bed, started in a pot somewhere warm, or held back. The zone lists below come from the sowing data behind our What to Sow Now page, which shows each zone's list for the current month.
Warm soil opens the summer list
Summer crops are planted by soil warmth, not the date. Seed in cold, wet ground tends to rot or come up patchy.
| Crop | Soil warmth to wait for | How to start it |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato | 16°C at least, 18 to 20°C better, frost finished | Plant out seedlings, set deep |
| Capsicum, chilli, eggplant | Above 18°C | Plant out seedlings |
| Beans, sweet corn, cucumber, pumpkin | About 16°C | Sow direct; cucumber and pumpkin can start in pots |
| Zucchini | Warmer, often quoted at about 20°C | Sow direct, or start in pots |
| Rockmelon, watermelon | Warm soil, warm nights, no frost | Direct in warm zones, pots in cooler ones |
| Okra, peanut | About 20°C for okra, 18°C for peanut | Okra in trays first in most zones; peanuts direct |
Our lesson on planting by soil temperature shows the kitchen thermometer method. Seedlings raised indoors also want a week of hardening off first.
What to sow in October, zone by zone
The six zones are broad groupings, so if you garden between two, lean on local cues such as your last frost. The Bureau of Meteorology maps average potential frost days by month.
Tropical: Darwin in the Northern Territory, Cairns and Townsville in Queensland
October is the build-up, and most tropical vegetables belong to the dry season. Sow snake beans, amaranth, purslane and rosella in raised or mounded beds that shed wet-season downpours. Plant ginger, turmeric and galangal as the build-up begins, on mounds if your soil holds water.
Tomatoes, bush and climbing beans, lettuce, cucumber and melons do best from about April, once the wet eases. Sweet potato grows through much of the year in the tropics, and many gardeners plant it on mounds as the wet begins.
Subtropical: Brisbane and south-east Queensland, northern New South Wales
Nearly the whole summer list can go in. Sow beans, sweet corn, cucumber, zucchini, squash, pumpkin and both melons, and plant out tomato, capsicum, chilli and eggplant. Okra goes in direct once the soil holds 20°C, and mid October opens the preferred peanut window. Cherry and heat-tolerant tomatoes cope best with the humid summer. Beetroot, carrot and silverbeet are nearly done; spring onion can carry on into November.
Sow melons early, before the humid peak, and time beans to dodge the muggiest weeks, when bean fly is worst. Peas wait for autumn.
Arid and semi-arid: Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Broken Hill in New South Wales, Mildura in Victoria, Kalgoorlie in Western Australia
Frost is the gate, and once it has gone October is busy. Sow beans, sweet corn, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin and both melons, and plant out tomato, capsicum, chilli and eggplant, with okra and peanuts as the soil nears 18 to 20°C. Squeeze in final sowings of beetroot, carrot, lettuce and silverbeet early in the month. Mulch deeply around seedlings.
Temperate: Sydney and the New South Wales coast, Melbourne in Victoria
The longest list, at two speeds. Around Sydney and the coast, sow beans, sweet corn, cucumber, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, both melons and peanuts and plant out tomato, capsicum, chilli and eggplant. Melbourne soil runs a few weeks behind: cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin and corn go in once it reads warm, tomatoes from mid to late October, and beans, melons and eggplant around Melbourne Cup weekend in early November. Beetroot, carrot and silverbeet carry on.
Mediterranean: Perth and southern Western Australia, Adelaide in South Australia
Summer arrives hot and dry, so sow early and mulch once seedlings are up. Sow beans, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin and both melons, and plant out tomato, capsicum and chilli. Eggplant goes out once nights stay above 10°C. Sweet corn goes in from September in Perth and from October in Adelaide once the soil reads 16°C. Carrot and beetroot continue; finish rocket in October.
Cool and alpine: Tasmania, Canberra in the ACT, Ballarat in Victoria, Orange and Armidale in New South Wales, Stanthorpe in Queensland
Frost season runs on here, and Canberra's last frosts can run into November. Direct sow the hardy crops: beetroot, lettuce, mesclun, radish, rocket, spinach, kale, cabbage, bok choy and spring onion, carrot once the soil holds about 10°C, and a final sowing of peas.
Under cover, start cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin and melons in pots, and grow on tomato, capsicum, chilli and eggplant seedlings. Plant them out after the last frost: early November in milder districts, later in November in Canberra and on the tablelands. Beans wait for November; sweet corn can go in from late October where the soil reads 16°C.
Where some seed cannot be sent
Our sweet corn seed and ginger, turmeric and galangal rhizomes cannot be sent to Western Australia, Tasmania or the Northern Territory. Most capsicum, many chilli and some tomato lines cannot go to Western Australia; peas and a few tomato lines cannot go to Tasmania. Each product page says where it can be sent.
Keep the salad coming: sow a little, often
Lettuce sown in one go comes ready in one go, then bolts together. Sow a short row of lettuce, rocket, mesclun or radish every two to three weeks instead.
- Choose slow-bolting types for spring sowings, and pick leaves young.
- Give afternoon shade as the heat builds; in warm zones, 30% shade cloth and a daily moisture check.
- Know when to stop. Subtropical and arid salad seasons are winding down, so pause if seedlings struggle; temperate and cool gardens can keep sowing lettuce into summer.
Our succession planting guide applies the same rhythm to other crops.
Seed potatoes and sweet potatoes in October
Seed potatoes go into soil of about 10°C after the frosts. October is prime time in cool and alpine gardens (September to December) and still good in temperate ones (August to November). Arid and Mediterranean windows close in October, so plant early with an early variety. Warmer zones wait for autumn. Our potato growing guide covers the rest.
Sweet potato slips go into warm soil after frost: from October in temperate, arid and Mediterranean gardens, September to December in the subtropics, and November in the warmest bed of a cool and alpine garden. Slips take four to six weeks to sprout and root, so count back from your planting date. See when to plant sweet potatoes, zone by zone for the detail.
Due to quarantine restrictions and our shipping policy, we cannot send seed potatoes or sweet potato tubers to Western Australia, Tasmania or Kangaroo Island. Australian Interstate Quarantine, run for the state and territory governments, sets out the rules.
Frequently asked questions
Is October too late to sow tomato seed?
Not in most zones. Temperate, subtropical and arid windows run into summer, and cool and alpine gardens sow from October. Plants raised from seed crop later than seedlings planted the same week, so an early variety helps.
Why are broccoli and cauliflower missing from most October lists?
They head best in cool weather, and in most zones a spring sowing would head into summer heat as caterpillars build up. Cool and alpine gardens are the exception: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage and bok choy can all be sown there in October.
What is Melbourne Cup weekend, and why do gardeners plant by it?
It is the weekend before the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November, a traditional cue in cooler southern gardens for frost-tender crops. Check soil and frost as well.
Can I plant seed potatoes in Brisbane in October?
Better to wait. Subtropical gardens plant potatoes from March to August, so tubers form in mild weather, not humid summer heat. Sweet potato suits October there.
Pick the handful of crops that suit your zone and your kitchen, sow them into warm ground, and let the rest wait its turn.
Related growing guides
Seed is in our vegetable seed range, and tubers in the seed potato collection and sweet potato tuber range (not to Western Australia, Tasmania or Kangaroo Island).
1 comment
Paul crockett
Very helpfull advice range &will be supporting your business cheers Paul