Year round Vegetable Planting Guide

Peter Cundall's year-round planting and sowing guide for vegetables

By Peter Cundall

Peter Cundall has put together a year-round guide for when to plant your veggies.

This guide is suitable for Tasmanian and cool-climate conditions. It is a fairly flexible one, making some allowance for temperature differences, especially areas that are frost-prone or frost-free.

JANUARY

PLANT: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, capsicums, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, leek, lettuce, parsnip, pumpkin, silverbeet, late sweetcorn and tomato.

SOW: Beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, winter cabbage, kale, carrot (main winter-spring crop), kohlrabi, spring onion, silverbeet, late swede, turnip, lettuce (chill seed in fridge first), late sweetcorn.

FEBRUARY

PLANT: Seedlings of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, winter cabbage, kale, cauliflower, celery, leek, lettuce, silverbeet and spring onion.

SOW: Broccoli, carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, late Brussels sprouts, leek, turnip, late swede (risky), beetroot, Chinese brassicas, Asian roots, parsnip, and silverbeet.

MARCH

PLANT: Garlic cloves and seedlings of celery, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, winter lettuce, silverbeet, spring and salad onion, chives and leeks.

SOW: Beetroot, carrot and parsnip early in March only. Then turnip, English spinach, broadbeans, peas (frost-free districts only), Asian leaf and root vegetables, spring and salad onions, lettuce and into vacant beds, green manure crops.

APRIL

PLANT: Garlic cloves and seedlings of salad and spring onions, late leeks, winter lettuce, silverbeet, mini-cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes (early, frost-free districts only) and green manure crops.

SOW: Spring and salad onions, English spinach, Japanese turnip, broadbeans and Asian cabbages and root crops.

MAY

PLANT: Broccoli, early potatoes, broadbeans, garlic, spring and salad onions, Japanese turnip and winter lettuce.

SOW: Broadbeans, English spinach, Asian brassicas and root crops, spring and salad onions, shallots, chives and green manure crops.

JUNE

PLANT: Asparagus crowns, early potatoes, rhubarb divisions, Jerusalem artichokes, globe artichoke suckers, potato onions, chives, shallots and garlic cloves.

SOW: Long-keeping, salad and spring onions, broadbeans and English spinach. In containers under glass or indoors sow seed of cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli to raise seedlings for August planting.

JULY

PLANT: Asparagus crowns, early potatoes, shallots, potato onions, long-keeping, salad and spring onion as small seedlings, garlic cloves, rhubarb divisions, Jerusalem and globe artichokes.

AUGUST

PLANT: Certified seed potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, shallots, potato onions, garlic cloves and oca (Oxalis tuberosa). Off-sets (suckers) of globe artichokes (for tasty food and brilliant flowers). Divisions of chives, rhubarb and asparagus crowns. Sturdy young seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower, celery, broccoli, lettuce, onion and leeks.

SOW: Direct where they are to be grown seed of peas (including delicious snow peas), broad beans, turnips, swedes, Asian brassicas, English spinach and onions. In warm, well-drained soil or containers, sow silverbeet, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and lettuce seeds.

SEPTEMBER

PLANT: Potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, globe artichokes, chives, rhubarb divisions and seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower, celery, broccoli, lettuce, silverbeet, spring long-keeping and salad onion and leeks.

SOW DIRECT: Carrot, beetroot, parsnip, silverbeet, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, onion, kohlrabi, summer spinach, leeks, swede, turnip, peas, Asian brassicas, Japanese turnip, peas. Under glass in containers sow tomatoes, pumpkin, zucchini and sweetcorn

OCTOBER

PLANT: Potatoes, globe artichoke and chive divisions. Also seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower, celery, broccoli, leek, lettuce, salad and spring onion, leeks and towards the end of the month seedlings of tomato, zucchini, pumpkin, squash, bush and climbing beans and sweetcorn.

SOW DIRECT: Carrot, beetroot, parsnip, silverbeet, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, spring and salad onion, leeks, late peas, tomato, zucchini, pumpkin, squash and sweetcorn. Under glass or in containers sow cucumber, eggplant, capsicum and tomato.

NOVEMBER

PLANT: Potatoes, globe artichokes and seedlings of Brussels sprouts, tomato, capsicum, kale, eggplant, zucchini, cucumber, sweetcorn, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, broccoli, silverbeet, lettuce, leek, Asian brassicas and roots.

SOW: Asparagus, bush and climbing beans, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Asian brassicas, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, salad onion, parsnip, late peas (cold districts only), pumpkin, winter squash, radish, rhubarb, summer spinach, swede, sweetcorn, tomato, turnip and zucchini.

DECEMBER

PLANT: Late potatoes, globe artichoke suckers and seedlings of Brussels sprouts, tomato, capsicum, kale, eggplant, zucchini, cucumber, sweetcorn, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, broccoli, silverbeet, lettuce, leek, Asian brassicas and roots.

SOW: Asparagus, bush and climbing beans, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Asian brassicas, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, salad onion, parsnip, pumpkin, winter squash, radish, rhubarb, summer spinach, swede, sweetcorn, tomato, turnip and zucchini.