This Month · May 2026
What to plantthis week,in your corner of Australia.
A single month means five different things depending on where you live. We sort what to sow, transplant, and harvest by your climate zone — so you’re never planting tomatoes a week before the first frost.
Enter your postcode above for dates tuned to your climate.
The same calendar month means five different things across Australia’s climate zones — what to plant in May in Darwin is nothing like Hobart. Select your zone below, or enter your postcode for a fully personalised calendar.
Personalised Planting Calendar
Plant Planner uses your exact postcode to generate a 12-month schedule with precise sowing dates, quantities for your family size, and companion planting suggestions.
Unlock Free🌴Tropical Australia
Darwin, Broome, Cairns, Townsville
Tropical Australia
Darwin, Broome, Cairns, Townsville
The tropics run on wet and dry seasons rather than four seasons. The dry season (roughly May–September) is the prime growing window, when humidity drops and most vegetables thrive.
Sow from Seed
🪴 Plant as Seedlings
🥕 Ready to Harvest
May tip for Tropical: Dry season peak — this is tropical Australia's best growing month. Humidity is low, temperatures are mild (25–30°C days), and almost every vegetable thrives. Plant densely and succession-sow every 3 weeks for continuous harvests.
☀️Subtropical Australia
Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Lismore, Coffs Harbour
Subtropical Australia
Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Lismore, Coffs Harbour
Mild winters are the peak growing season in subtropical Australia. Warm, humid summers suit heat-loving crops but make cool-season vegetables harder to grow.
Sow from Seed
🪴 Plant as Seedlings
🥕 Ready to Harvest
May tip for Subtropical: Winter crops take over — plant garlic now for a November–December harvest. Broad beans and peas love May's cool nights. Wind down summer crops and devote beds to leafy greens, brassicas, and root vegetables.
🍂Temperate Australia
Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide
Temperate Australia
Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide
Four distinct seasons, with spring and autumn the key planting windows. Summers can be hot and winters mild to cool — most of Australia's gardeners live here.
Sow from Seed
🪴 Plant as Seedlings
🥕 Ready to Harvest
May tip for Temperate: May is the last sowing month for many vegetables before winter slows growth significantly. Peas and broad beans sown now establish through winter and produce abundantly in spring. Harvest all remaining pumpkins — they store well for months.
❄️Cool/Alpine Australia
Hobart, Launceston, Canberra, Ballarat, Orange, Alpine Victoria
Cool/Alpine Australia
Hobart, Launceston, Canberra, Ballarat, Orange, Alpine Victoria
A short frost-free season means timing around frosts is everything. Cold winters reward patient gardeners with outstanding brassicas and root crops.
Sow from Seed
🪴 Plant as Seedlings
🥕 Ready to Harvest
May tip for Cool/Alpine: First frosts possible in cool zones by late May. Focus on cold-hardy crops and protect vulnerable seedlings. Harvest pumpkins as soon as vines die — they store best cured at room temperature for 2 weeks, then cool and dry.
🏜️Arid/Semi-arid Australia
Alice Springs, Broken Hill, Kalgoorlie, Port Augusta, Mildura
Arid/Semi-arid Australia
Alice Springs, Broken Hill, Kalgoorlie, Port Augusta, Mildura
Extreme summer heat means the cooler months (April–September) are the main growing season, with efficient irrigation and heavy mulching essential year-round.
Sow from Seed
🪴 Plant as Seedlings
🥕 Ready to Harvest
May tip for Arid/Semi-arid: Ideal growing conditions return — daytime temperatures 22–28°C, cool nights. Plant densely and succession-sow every 2–3 weeks. Winter crops established now will produce prolifically. Garlic planted in May will be ready by October–November.
From the makers
Get a Personalised Plan for Your Garden
Enter your postcode, bed dimensions, and family size — Plant Planner generates a complete 12-month calendar with exact planting dates and weekly email reminders.
General May Gardening Tips
Soil preparation
Top up cleared summer beds with 5–10cm of compost. Soil microbiology recharges over the cooler months, priming beds for a strong winter crop. Never dig wet soil — it destroys structure.
Garlic — don't miss the window
Garlic needs cold to form bulbs (vernalisation). Plant April–June in temperate and cool zones — pointed end up, 5cm deep, 15cm apart. Harvest November–December.
Succession planting
Sow a third of your lettuce, spinach and radish now, another third in three weeks, the last in six. Continuous harvests instead of a glut then nothing.
Frost protection
In cool/alpine zones, prep frost cloth or cloches now. Raised beds run 2–3°C warmer than ground level, but severe frosts still damage unprotected seedlings.
The complete guide to what to plant now in Australia
Timing is everything in an Australian veggie garden. Here is how to decide what to plant this month — based on your zone, your frost dates, and what you want to harvest.
How Australian planting seasons work
Unlike the US or UK, Australia's climate is not divided by hardiness zones — it is divided by Tropical, Subtropical, Temperate, Cool, and Arid climate bands. That means "what to plant now" in Darwin is completely different from Hobart, even in the same month. Always start by identifying your climate zone (enter your postcode above) before following generic planting calendars.
Cool-season vs warm-season crops
Australian vegetables fall into two rough groups:
- Cool-season crops (brassicas, alliums, peas, broad beans, leafy greens, root veg): planted late summer to autumn for winter/spring harvest in temperate and cool zones; planted through winter in subtropical/tropical zones.
- Warm-season crops (tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, cucurbits, sweet corn, beans): planted after last frost in spring for summer harvest in most zones; planted at start of dry season in tropics (April–May).
Frost dates and why they matter
Warm-season crops (tomatoes, basil, beans, zucchini) die at the first frost. In Melbourne, average last frost is around mid-October; in Hobart, early November; in Canberra, mid-November. Plant Planner uses your postcode to look up your local frost dates and automatically shifts your planting schedule — so you never plant tomatoes too early and lose them to a late frost.
Month-by-month planting priorities
- January–February: Sow brassicas and leafy greens for autumn. Harvest summer crops.
- March–April: Plant garlic, broad beans, peas, winter brassicas. Last chance for quick crops like radish.
- May–June: Garlic and onion last call in temperate. Harvest citrus. Plan spring seed orders.
- July–August: Start tomato, capsicum, eggplant seedlings indoors. Direct-sow peas and broad beans in cool zones.
- September–October: After last frost, plant out warm-season seedlings. Sow beans, corn, zucchini direct.
- November–December: Succession-sow beans, lettuce, coriander. Stake tomatoes, mulch heavily.
What to plant in raised beds right now
Raised beds warm up faster and drain better, which means you can plant cool-season crops 1–2 weeks earlier than in-ground gardens. For a 1m × 2m raised bed in a temperate zone right now, a good mix is: 4 broccoli plants, 6 lettuces, 1 row of silverbeet, 1 row of spinach, and a block of garlic along the edge. See our raised bed calculator for exact plant counts for your bed size.
Companion planting for your current plant list
Whatever you plant this month, pair it with the right companions. Brassicas love dill, rosemary, and nasturtiums. Tomatoes thrive next to basil and marigold. Avoid planting brassicas with tomatoes, or onions with peas. Our companion planting guide covers every supported crop — and Plant Planner auto-fills your beds with good companions so you never have to memorise the chart.
Succession planting: don't plant it all at once
A classic beginner mistake is planting all your lettuce on the same day — you end up with 12 lettuces at once, then nothing. Instead, sow a small batch every 2–3 weeks. Plant Planner builds succession planting into your schedule automatically, so you harvest continuously instead of in gluts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What vegetables should I plant in May in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone. In temperate areas (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth) plant Broad Beans, Peas, Spinach, Lettuce, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage. In subtropical Queensland, plant Peas, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Cauliflower. In the tropics (Darwin, Cairns), sow Tomato, Capsicum, Beans, Cucumber, Carrot. In cool and alpine zones (Hobart, Canberra), focus on Broad Beans, Garlic (last chance), Mache, Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Silverbeet (under cloche).
How do I find my Australian climate zone?
Australia has five growing zones — tropical (Darwin, Cairns), subtropical (Brisbane, Gold Coast), temperate (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth), cool/alpine (Hobart, Canberra) and arid (Alice Springs, Broken Hill). Your postcode is the most reliable guide: enter it on Plant Planner for a precise classification and planting dates tuned to your exact location.
What grows best in raised beds in Australia?
Raised beds warm faster and drain better than in-ground gardens, so you can plant 1–2 weeks earlier. The most reliable raised-bed crops are leafy greens (lettuce, kale, silverbeet, spinach, Asian greens), brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage), root vegetables (carrot, beetroot, radish), legumes (peas, broad beans), alliums (garlic, leek, onion) and herbs. A 30 cm-deep bed insulates roots from frost.
Why does what to plant depend on where I live in Australia?
Australia isn't divided by hardiness zones like the US — it's split into tropical, subtropical, temperate, cool and arid climate bands. The same calendar month means five different things: while temperate gardeners plant winter brassicas, the tropics are entering their main dry-season growing window. Always identify your zone before following any planting calendar.