The Catalogue · 30 Vegetables
How to groweverything worth growing,in Australian beds.
Fruit Vegetables
Warm-season crops grown for their edible fruit: tomatoes, capsicum, chilli, eggplant
Tomato
60–90 days from transplant
Tomatoes are Australia's most popular home garden vegetable, and for good reason — a sun-warmed tomato picked fresh from your own raised bed is incomparably better than anything from a supermarket.
Capsicum
70–90 days from transplant
Capsicum (bell pepper) thrives in Australia's warm climate and produces generous harvests when given full sun and a long growing season.
Chilli
80–120 days from transplant
Chillies are one of the most rewarding plants for Australian raised bed gardeners — they thrive in our warm climate, produce abundantly over a long season, and add enormous culinary versatility to the garden.
Eggplant
65–90 days from transplant
Eggplant (aubergine) is a heat-loving member of the Solanaceae family that thrives in Australia's warm climate.
Leafy Greens
Fast-growing crops harvested for their leaves: lettuce, spinach, silverbeet
Lettuce
45–70 days
Lettuce is the perfect raised bed crop — fast-growing, compact, and productive over most of the Australian year.
Spinach
25–50 days
Spinach is a fast-growing, highly nutritious leafy green that thrives in Australian winter and spring gardens.
Silverbeet
50–70 days to first harvest; ongoing
Silverbeet (Swiss chard) is one of the most productive and reliable vegetables in the Australian raised bed garden.
Brassicas
Cool-season crops from the cabbage family: broccoli, kale, cauliflower, bok choy
Broccoli
80–120 days
Broccoli is a cool-season brassica that fills the autumn and winter raised bed beautifully.
Kale
55–70 days to first harvest; ongoing
Kale is a nutritional powerhouse and one of the most productive winter crops for Australian raised beds.
Cauliflower
80–120 days
Cauliflower is the most temperamental of the brassicas — it requires a long, cool, consistent growing season and is highly sensitive to temperature stress, which causes the curd to 'button' (form tiny, immature heads) prematurely.
Bok Choy
40–60 days (mini); 60–80 days (full-size)
Bok choy (pak choy) is one of the fastest and most productive brassicas for Australian raised beds.
Root Vegetables
Underground crops: carrots, beetroot, radish, potato, sweet potato
Carrot
70–90 days
Carrots reward Australian gardeners who take the time to prepare deep, loose, stone-free soil.
Beetroot
55–80 days
Beetroot is one of the most versatile vegetables in the Australian garden — the roots are roasted, pickled, or eaten raw, while the leaves (beet greens) are a nutritious spinach substitute.
Radish
25–35 days (small types); 60–70 days (Daikon)
Radishes are the fastest vegetables you can grow — from seed to harvest in as little as 25 days.
Potato
70–100 days (early varieties); 100–120 days (maincrop)
Potatoes are one of the most productive crops per square metre in the Australian vegetable garden.
Sweet Potato
90–130 days from slip planting
Sweet potato is one of the most productive, heat-tolerant, and low-maintenance crops for Australian raised beds.
Legumes
Nitrogen-fixing crops: beans and peas
Beans
55–70 days (bush); 65–80 days (climbing)
Beans are a reliable, productive, and nitrogen-fixing crop that earns its place in every Australian raised bed.
Peas
60–80 days
Peas are one of the great pleasures of winter gardening in Australia — sweet, tender, and eaten fresh from the pod while standing in the garden on a cool morning.
Herbs
Aromatic culinary herbs: basil, parsley, mint, rosemary, coriander
Basil
25–35 days to first harvest; ongoing
Basil is the quintessential summer herb and one of the most valuable companion plants in the Australian raised bed garden.
Parsley
70–80 days to full harvest; partial from 40 days
Parsley is one of Australia's most widely grown herbs and an invaluable addition to the raised bed garden.
Mint
30–60 days from transplant
Mint is the most vigorous, aggressive herb in the Australian garden — one plant can spread to fill an entire raised bed within a season.
Rosemary
Ongoing from establishment; cuttings produce harvestable growth in 60–90 days
Rosemary is a perennial Mediterranean shrub that thrives in Australia's dry, sunny climate — particularly in south-west Western Australia and South Australia, which share similar Mediterranean conditions.
Coriander
25–35 days to first harvest; bolt-resistant varieties 45–60 days
Coriander (cilantro) is a polarising herb with a devoted following in Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin Australian cooking.
Alliums
Onion family crops: spring onion, garlic
Spring Onion
60–80 days
Spring onions (also called green onions or scallions) are among the most space-efficient crops in the Australian raised bed garden.
Garlic
180–210 days (6–7 months)
Garlic is one of the most satisfying crops in the Australian raised bed garden — planted in autumn, it grows quietly through winter and rewards patient gardeners with fragrant bulbs in spring or early summer.
Cucurbits
Vining crops from the cucumber family: zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin
Zucchini
50–65 days
Zucchini (courgette) is one of the most productive vegetables you can grow in an Australian raised bed.
Cucumber
50–70 days
Cucumbers are prolific, fast-growing crops that are perfectly suited to vertical growing in Australian raised beds.
Pumpkin
90–120 days
Pumpkins are the most substantial crop you can grow in an Australian raised bed — vines can extend 3–5 metres and produce fruit weighing 1–10 kg.
Grains
Large crops like sweetcorn
Vegetables
Other vegetables: celery
From the makers
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Enter your postcode, family size, and bed dimensions — Plant Planner selects the right vegetables for your climate, calculates quantities, and generates a personalised planting schedule.
Australia's 5 Climate Zones — Planting Times Explained
Australia's vast geography creates five distinct climate zones, each with different planting calendars. Every guide on this page includes specific planting times for each zone.
Tropical
Darwin, Cairns, Broome
Year-round growing with a distinct wet season (Nov–Apr) and dry season. Cool-season vegetables are planted in the dry season (April–September).
Subtropical
Brisbane, Gold Coast, Northern NSW
Mild winters and warm summers. Almost year-round growing is possible, with some adjustment in summer for heat-sensitive crops.
Temperate
Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide
Distinct four seasons. Warm-season vegetables thrive in spring–summer; cool-season crops (brassicas, root veg) do best in autumn–winter.
Cool/Alpine
Canberra, Hobart, Blue Mountains
Frosts are common from May–September. Growing season is compressed; protection (cloches, frost cloth) extends the season significantly.
Arid
Alice Springs, Broken Hill, outback
Extreme heat in summer and cold nights in winter. Growing focuses on spring and autumn; irrigation is essential throughout.
Personalised Crop Recommendations
Plant Planner analyses your climate zone, bed dimensions, and family size to recommend exactly which vegetables to grow and how many plants you need.
Unlock FreeRaised Bed Growing Tips for Australian Gardeners
Start with rich soil
The single biggest factor in raised bed success is soil quality. Use a mix of quality compost (40%), aged manure or worm castings (20%), and a free-draining base mix (40%). Top up with compost each season.
Water consistently
Inconsistent watering is the cause of many problems — blossom end rot, cracking, bitterness, and bolting. Install drip irrigation or set a regular hand-watering schedule and stick to it.
Use exclusion netting
Fine insect exclusion netting (not shade cloth) is the single most effective pest control measure for Australian raised beds. Install it over brassicas and other pest-prone crops from day one.
Succession plant
Sow a small amount of fast-growing crops (lettuce, radish, spinach, spring onion) every 2–3 weeks rather than all at once. This gives continuous harvests rather than feast-and-famine gluts.
Plant companion flowers
Add 2–4 marigolds or nasturtiums to every raised bed. These flowering companions attract beneficial insects, trap aphids, and deter soil-borne pests — all for almost zero space and cost.
Keep a garden journal
Record what you planted, when, and how it performed. Year-on-year notes are invaluable — you'll quickly identify which varieties perform best in your specific garden conditions.
Growing Vegetables in Australia — FAQs
What are the easiest vegetables to grow in Australia for beginners?
The most forgiving crops for new Australian gardeners are lettuce, silverbeet, radish, spring onion, snow peas, zucchini and cherry tomatoes. They germinate readily, grow fast, and tolerate beginner mistakes. Start with leafy greens and herbs in autumn, or zucchini and cherry tomatoes in spring after your last frost.
How do I know when to plant vegetables in my area?
Planting times in Australia are set by your climate zone, not a national calendar — what suits Darwin's tropical dry season is wrong for cool-climate Hobart. Find your zone (tropical, subtropical, temperate, cool or arid), then check each crop's planting window for that zone. Every guide here lists planting months by zone, and Plant Planner pins it down further from your postcode.
How many vegetable plants does a family of four need?
As a rough guide for a family of four: 6–10 tomato plants, 8–10 lettuces (succession-sown), 2–3 zucchini, a 1–2 m² block of potatoes, and ongoing rows of beans, carrots and leafy greens. Exact numbers depend on what you eat most — each growing guide includes a family-of-four estimate, and Plant Planner calculates quantities from your household size.
What grows best in a raised garden bed?
Almost all vegetables thrive in raised beds because of the better drainage and warmer soil, but the standouts are leafy greens, root vegetables (carrots, beetroot, radish), brassicas, bush beans, and compact fruiting crops like cherry tomatoes and capsicum. A 30 cm-deep bed suits nearly everything; go deeper (40 cm+) for long roots like parsnip and full-size carrots.
Can I grow vegetables all year round in Australia?
In most of Australia, yes — there's something to plant every month. Temperate and subtropical gardeners simply switch between warm-season crops (tomatoes, beans, cucurbits) in spring–summer and cool-season crops (brassicas, peas, leafy greens, garlic) in autumn–winter. Tropical zones grow most vegetables through the dry season, and even cool/alpine gardens stay productive with cold-hardy greens and protection.
Let Plant Planner Build Your Garden Plan
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