Climate Zones for Australian Gardeners
Knowing your climate zone will help you decide the best time to sow the vegetables, herbs and flowers you want to grow, and which varieties should perform well in your garden. Growing plants that are suited to your climate zone will usually give you the best results in your garden.
How to Use Climate Zones
First, find your climate zone using the map or descriptions below. Next, refer to our sowing chart, which provides approximate sowing times for our most popular seeds for each climate zone.
While knowing your climate zone is helpful when planning your garden, there are many other factors that may affect how your plants grow, including unseasonal weather conditions, the specific microclimate of your garden and how you care for your plants. You know your garden better than us, so if a different climate zone seems to ‘fit’ your garden better, go ahead and use it as a guide.
Our climate zones cover huge areas of Australia, so we recommend gardeners also consider their local conditions when planning what and when to plant. For example, gardeners in alpine areas have shorter growing seasons than gardeners in cool coastal areas, even though both alpine and coastal areas are included in our ‘Cool Temperate’ climate zone. We recommend gardeners in cool regions look at the ‘days to maturity’ information provided for each variety and choose those that will mature in a short (6-12 week) growing season.
Tropical
- Includes: Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Exmouth
- High humidity summers with most rainfall in summer and dry, warm winters. Includes northern Australia from Exmouth (WA) across to south of Townsville (Qld).
- Set as my climate
Arid
- Includes: Alice Springs, Mildura, Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo
- Hot dry summers, winters can be warm or cool depending on the region. Includes a large area of central Australia from the WA coast to Charleville (Qld), Tamworth (NSW) and Albury-Wodonga (NSW/Vic).
- Set as my climate
Subtropical
- Includes: Brisbane, Bundaberg, Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Mackay, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast
- Warm humid summers with high summer rainfall and mild winters. Includes coastal Queensland and northern NSW from north of Mackay to just south of Coffs Harbour.
- Set as my climate
Temperate
- Includes: Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Toowoomba, Central Coast NSW, Wollongong, Bunbury
- Moderate humidity and reliable rainfall, with four distinct seasons. Includes coastal areas from north of Port Macquarie to south of Woollongong in NSW, coastal SA and the southeastern coast of WA.
- Set as my climate
Cool Temperate
- Includes: Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mt Gambier
- Low humidity with most rainfall in winter; hot dry summers and cold winters. Some regions will experience frosts and snow. Includes coastal areas of south-eastern Australia and alpine areas of Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
- Set as my climate
Climate Zones FAQ
What if I can’t find my climate zone?
If you can’t locate your zone from looking at the map or the descriptions on this page, we suggest that you think of
an area that has a climate that’s similar to yours and use the zone for that area as a guide.
What if I live on the border of two zones?
If you live near the border between two zones we suggest you read the descriptions for both zones and decide which
best describes the climate where you live. Depending on the microclimate in your garden, you may be able to grow a
wider range of plants over a longer season than others in your zone. Lucky you!
What is a microclimate?
A microclimate is a small area where the temperature or humidity differs to the climate of the surrounding area. For
example, if you live in a climate zone where frosts are common but your garden is protected by buildings or large
trees, your garden may be frost-free. Similarly, if you live in a warm temperate zone but your garden is at a high
altitude your microclimate may have more in common with the cool temperate zone, so use this as a guide when
deciding which zone is relevant to you.
Can I grow varieties not listed for my climate zone?
While our climate zones and sowing chart will help you decide what is suitable to plant in your garden, they provide
general guidance only. We recommend you start by sowing seed that’s recommended for your climate zone; once you get
a few successes under your belt you can experiment with varieties in neighbouring zones and see how you go –
gardening is all about experimenting after all!
How to Grow Sweet Potato Tubers
Grow Guide #2346
Family: Convolvulaceae
Binomial name: Ipomoea batatas
Life Cycle: Perennial
This 'How to Grow' guide details everything a home gardener needs to know to plant, grow and care for Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas).
(This guide provides instructions on how to grow sweet potato from tubers. Tubers are the swollen roots of sweet potato plants. While you can plant the tubers directly in the garden, growing 'slips' from the tubers can give you a more productive crop. Slips are shoots that grow from the tuber that are cut and then planted in the garden.)
When to Grow Sweet Potato Tubers
Sweet potato tubers will grow shoots in a warm environment. Cuttings taken from the shoots can be planted in spring and early summer after all danger of frost has passed. Use the table below to identify the best time of year to grow and plant sweet potato in your climate.
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cool | ||||||||||||
| Temperate | ||||||||||||
| Sub-Tropical | ||||||||||||
| Tropical | ||||||||||||
| Arid |
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Preparation
Sweet Potato plants are best grown in full sun or part shade. Choose a location that will receive at least 3 hours of full sun each day.
Sweet Potato plants need a loose, well drained soil enriched with organic matter. Prepare soil by weeding it thoroughly, digging it over to at least a spade’s depth to loosen the soil, and adding aged animal manure or compost. Organic matter can be dug into heavy soil to lighten it so roots can grow freely. Keep the area free of weeds until planting. Learn more about preparing soil for planting here.
How to Grow Sweet Potato
Growing sweet potato is a two-step process. First grow shoots and take cuttings from the tuber, then plant and care for the cuttings.
Shoots can be grown by placing the tuber in either water or soil.
Soil Method
- Fill a seedling tray or 20cm pot with free-draining potting mix. The potting mix should be moist but not wet.
- Lay the tuber horizontally on the potting mix and half bury it in the mix.
- Place the container in a warm, well lit position. Placing the container on a heat mat will speed up the formation of shoots.
- Keep the soil moist.
- When shoots are 15-20cm tall, use a clean sharp knife to cut them off the tuber or twist them off at the base.
Water Method
- Fill a clean glass or jar with tap water.
- Determine which end of the tuber is the root end. The root end is narrow and tapered, and there may be some roots visible. There may be small eyes visible on the sprouting end.
- Use toothpicks inserted into the tuber about halfway along it's length to suspend the tuber in the jar; the root end of the tuber should be pointing down and submerged in the water.
- Place the jar in a warm, well lit position. Replace the water weekly or as needed.
- Roots will grow first, followed by shoots.
- When shoots are 15-20cm tall, use a clean sharp knife to cut them off the tuber.
Cuttings can be planted directly in the garden or put in a jar of water to grow roots. To learn how to root cuttings in water, click here.
How to Plant Sweet Potato Cuttings
Do not plant until all danger of frost has passed.
- Remove the bottom sets of leaves from the cutting, leaving just the top set on the plant.
- Dig a 7-10cm deep hole and plant the cutting horizontally. Make sure at least one leaf node (the point on the stem where leaves were removed) is buried.
- Cover with soil. Water in well.
- Space cuttings 30cm apart, with rows 75cm apart.
Sweet Potato plants may need watering during the growing season. Water when the soil is dry about 5cm below the surface (test this by scratching away a little soil with your finger). Water deeply in the early morning or late afternoon. Avoid watering the leaves of plants to avoid fungal diseases. Learn more about watering here.
If soil was well prepared no extra fertiliser should be necessary. Fertilising can result in excessive leaf growth at the expense of roots forming. In poor soil use a fertiliser low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus, such as blood and bone, applied at the recommended rate.
How to Harvest Sweet Potato
Sweet Potato should be ready to harvest in approximately 120 days.
Tubers are ready to harvest when the leaves of the plant begin to turn yellow. Use a garden fork to gently lift the tubers, taking care not to damage them. Shake off excess soil. Alternatively, you can ‘bandicoot’ the tubers gradually by digging carefully to unearth just a few tubers at a time. Cure tubers by placing them in a warm, dry place for 10-14 days. Store in a dark, cool well ventilated space, checking regularly for rot.
Tubers can be left in the ground over winter in warm climates. In cold climates, slips or cuttings can be taken in late autumn and grown indoors or under cover to replant in spring.
Common Problems when Growing Sweet Potato
Like all plants, sweet potato is susceptible to some pests, diseases and other problems. Below is a list of the most common problems gardeners encounter when growing sweet potato plants:
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Rotten tubers are caused by pathogens entering tubers after sitting in cold, wet soil or being temporarily waterlogged. Tubers may show obvious signs of rot, have no roots or shoots, or produce stunted yellow leaves. Plant tubers in free-draining soil, raised garden beds or containers, and do not water them until shoots emerge. In heavy soils, lift and store tubers over winter and replant in spring.
Fusarium wilt and verticillium wilt are diseases caused by soil-borne fungi. The fungi enter a plants’ roots and prevent water and nutrients from moving through plants. Leaves and branches will wilt, dry off and die and leaves may yellow. There is no cure for wilt but choosing resistant varieties, disposing of affected plants and soil, practicing good garden hygiene and crop rotation will all help to prevent it spreading.
Frost damage can cause leaves to wilt and go black. Do not plant seedlings in the garden until all danger of frost has passed in spring, and harvest plants before winter. Prune all frost-damaged leaves to avoid them rotting on the plant.
