Seed Subscription: Vegetable, Sub-Tropical Climate, Summer 2025

Subscriptions are an excellent way to explore new seed varieties without having to spend time choosing the seeds yourself, and are perfect for busy gardeners, delivering seeds and all the information you need to plant them directly to your letterbox. 

Each season we’ll choose a selection of seed varieties tailored to your climate, and send you the seeds plus a colour information sheet with photos, tips and sowing information - all you need to do is plant!

You are currently viewing a single season of seeds which can be purchased individually. To subscribe to a years worth of seeds click here.

Seeds included in this subscription:

• 

  Radish- Watermelon

  Attractive radish with round white skin, green shoulders, and red/pink interior. Grows to 8cm, ideal for salads/garnish. Crisp, mild, sweet flesh. Resembles mini watermelon. Also known as "Red Meat Radish".

  Sow direct, 10mm. Germination 3-14 days @ 8-30°C.Annual. Rows 30cm, Spacing 8cm. 50 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Pumpkin- Long Island Cheese

  1800's American heirloom variety, named for its cheese wheel shape. Grown in a specific region, the flattened, ribbed fruits weigh 3-5.5kg. Its dark orange flesh is sweet, ideal for pies. Can be stored for up to 6 months.

  Sow direct, 20mm. Germination 8-12 days @ 21-35°C.Annual. Rows 250cm, Spacing 100cm. 90-100 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB MAR AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Leek- Elephant

  Large leeks that can grow up to 10cm in diameter. Good flavour. Perfect for salads, stews, soups, stir-fries and steamed.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 5mm. Germination 10-14 days @ 18-23°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 45cm, Spacing 12cm. 100 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Silverbeet- Orange Fantasia

  A biennial often grown annually, reaching 60cm. Bright orange stalks, veins, midribs, and shiny green leaves. Retains colour when cooked. Thick, tender stalks. Highly productive, good for baby leaves. Can be ornamental in mixed borders or beds.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 15mm. Germination 5-10 days @ 10-30°C.Biennial. Rows 50cm, Spacing 30cm. 60 days (30 days for baby leaves).

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

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• 

  Cauliflower- Selection 174

  Creamy white, tightly packed heads that are well protected by the inner leaves. A reliable, Australian-bred variety producing medium sized, heavy heads 15-20cm wide with excellent flavour. Also known as 'Quickheart'.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 5mm. Germination 7-14 days @ 10-30°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 75cm, Spacing 50cm. 90-110 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Onion- Cipollini

  A biennial that produces small, flat, disc-shaped onions with a gold skin and clean white flesh. Bulbs form skin later in the season, and can be harvested young for spring onions that are easy to wash and prepare. Mild flavour.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 5mm. Germination 7-10 days @ 20-25°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 40cm, Spacing 10cm. 120-160 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: FEB MAR APR MAY JUN (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Shallot- Roderique Echalion

  Biennial (usually grown as an annual) traditional French echalion with a long tapered shape and copper pink skin. Bulbs have a mild, sweet flavour and can be used in dressings, sauces, soups and stews, and eaten cooked, pickled or raw.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 5mm. Germination 7-10 days @ 20-25°C.Perennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 40cm, Spacing 5-10cm. 110-120 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: FEB MAR APR MAY JUN (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Watermelon- Golden Honey

  A rare heirloom variety with sweet, crisp and juicy, golden yellow flesh and black seeds. Round fruits have light green striped skin and grow 25-30cm in diameter. Great in fruit salads or for creating a colourful fruit platter.

  Sow direct, 20mm. Germination 10-14 days @ 27-32°C.Annual. Rows 125cm, Spacing 75cm. 85 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Rockmelon- Ha'Ogen

  A smooth-skinned heirloom variety with fragrant, thick, pale green flesh that has a sweet honey flavour. When ripe, the skin changes from green to pale yellow, is slightly speckled and has green ribs. Fruit can weigh up to 1.5kg and matures in 70-95 days.

  Sow direct, 10mm. Germination 4-10 days @ 20-32°C.Annual. Rows 120cm, Spacing 60cm. 70-95 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Lettuce- Butterhead Speckles

  Butterhead type lettuce with medium-sized, dense heads and burgundy-speckled leaves. Snip off individual leaves as a cut-and-come-again crop, or cut whole heads when young or full-sized. An Amish heirloom variety.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 3mm. Germination 7-14 days @ 10-22°C.Annual. Rows 30-50cm, Height 20-30cm, Spacing 20-30cm. 45-55 days.

  Best months in Sub-Tropical Climates: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

Tips for gardening in summer:

• Watering: Learn when to water by using your index finger to check soil moisture. Scratch back a little of the surface soil and use your finger to see if soil is moist about 5cm below the surface; if it’s on the dry side, it’s time to water.
• Crop protection: As fruit and veggies develop they may need protection from burrowing insects, fruit fly, birds, possums or bats. Berries, fruit trees and soft fruit like tomatoes are especially at risk. Use insect exclusion netting, bird netting or fruit protection bags to protect crops. Ensure your netting is pegged or tied securely at the bottom to stop pests getting in.
• Pinch for More Flowers: Pinch the main stems of flowering plants to encourage strong growth, a bushier habit and more flowers. Once plants are 20-40cm tall and have several sets of leaves, use sharp, clean snips or secateurs to cut off the top 10cm or so of the main stem of the plant, making the cut just above a set of leaves. Flowers including aster, zinnia, chrysanthemum, calendula, marigold and dahlia will all benefit from pinching.
• Provide shade for sensitive plants: Use shade cloth or even old sheets to protect delicate seedlings and leafy greens from the harsh summer sun, especially during the hottest part of the day.

Pests and diseases to look out for in summer:

• Aphids: Small, sap-sucking insects that congregate on the new shoots or the underside of leaves. They can cause leaves to wilt or become discoloured, and also excrete honeydew which can attract ants and other insect pests. To manage aphids, remove them by spraying with a garden hose, apply a soap or alcohol spray, or encourage predatory insects to your garden.
• Whitefly: A sap-sucking insect related to aphids, whitefly are found in large numbers on the underside of leaves, and will swarm in clouds when disturbed. Plants may have yellowing leaves or may wilt, and growth will be slowed. Whitefly can be removed with a garden hose or sprayed with soap spray. Badly affected plants should be destroyed.
• Slugs and snails: These slimy pests love the humidity of summer nights and can decimate seedlings and tender young plants. They leave tell-tale silvery trails and irregular holes in leaves. To control them, try hand-picking them at night (with a torch) and disposing of them, creating barriers crushed eggshells around vulnerable plants, or using beer traps.
• Fungal diseases: The combination of warm temperatures and summer humidity can form the perfect conditions for fungal diseases to spread. Water plants in the morning at ground level, avoiding wetting foliage wherever possible. Prune off affected foliage, space plants to allow more airflow, and treat fungal outbreaks with homemade or purchased sprays.

Product code: SS_VEG_SUBT_SUM_2025