Seed Subscription: Vegetable, Tropical Climate, Autumn 2024 (WA)

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:

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  Bunching Onion- Natsuyo

  A non-bulbing onion, Natsuyo, is ideal for year-round production, tolerating hot and cold conditions. Popular in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisine, it has slender green leaves. It's disease-resistant, notably to downy mildew.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 5mm. Germination 7-10 days @ 15-25°C.Perennial. Rows 30cm, Height 30cm, Spacing 3cm. 60-90 days.

  Best months in Tropical Climates: MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Swede- Laurentian

  Heirloom variety from Quebec, introduced to the US in the 1920s. Roots are buff yellow, purple tops, round, 13-15cm in diameter. Flesh is firm, crisp, raw, smooth, creamy when mashed, sweet, mild. Young tops edible.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 10mm. Germination 4-10 days @ 16-30°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 50cm, Spacing 20cm. 90 days.

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

• 

  Cucumber- Lebanese

  Summer salad vegetable. Smooth green skin with sweet crisp flesh growing to 22cm. Excellent for salads and pickling. Also known as "Beit Alpha".

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 10mm. Germination 4-10 days @ 18-35°C.Annual. Rows 120cm, Spacing 40cm. 60-70 days.

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

• 

  Eggplant- Rosita

  A 1940s Puerto Rican heirloom eggplant variety. Teardrop-shaped, lavender pink fruit with white shoulders. Grows to 120cm, prolific in hot climates. Sweet, mild white flesh with late-developing seeds. Tender skin.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 5mm. Germination 7-21 days @ 24-32°C.Perennial (grown as an annual in cool climates). Rows 80cm, Height 120cm, Spacing 70cm. 75-80 days.

  Best months in 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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• 

  Beetroot- Early Wonder

  Deep red, flattened globe shaped roots growing up to 10cm. With attractive tall glossy leaves, this is an ideal variety for salad greens.

  Sow direct, 15mm. Germination 5-10 days @ 10-30°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 50cm, Spacing 10cm. 55 days.

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

• 

  Tatsoi

  Popular Asian variety with low-growing rosettes of dark green leaves and pale stems. Has a mild mustard flavour, used fresh in salads or cooked in stir fries and soups. Ideal for baby leaf production, matures in 21 days. Cold tolerant.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 6mm. Germination 4-11 days @ 12-28°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 40cm, Height 10cm, Spacing 20cm. 45 days (baby leaf in 21 days).

  Best months in Tropical Climates: (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

• 

  Pumpkin- Jap

  Popular heirloom pumpkin, known for long maturing period and storage ability. Dark green skin, yellow patches, nutty flavour, firm light orange flesh. Medium size, around 5kg. Ideal for long hot summers, tolerates poor soil. Also known as "Kent Pumpkin".

  Sow direct, 30mm. Germination 5-10 days @ 21-35°C.Annual. Rows 300cm, Spacing 120cm. 140-175 days.

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

• 

  Cabbage, Chinese- Pak Choi - Cantong

  Non heading variety with rounded dark green leaves and thick white stems. Mild flavour is excellent both raw or cooked. Good in stir-fries and steamed. Fast maturing. Good variety for hot weather and warmer climates.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 6mm. Germination 7-14 days @ 7-23°C.Biennial (usually grown as an annual). Rows 40cm, Spacing 25cm. 40-50 days.

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

• 

  Tomato- Black Cherry

  Climbing (indeterminate) early Russian variety known for sweetness. Produces 3cm round, deep purple-black cherry-like fruit with a sweet, complex flavour. Vigorous, highly productive, and disease tolerant.

  Sow direct or raise seedlings, 5mm. Germination 5-10 days @ 21-27°C.Annual. Rows 60-70cm, Spacing 50cm. 80 days.

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

• 

  Winged Bean

  Frost tender perennial, best in warm climates, can grow in cool with care. Tall vines with green leaves, violet/blue flowers, and green, rectangular beans. Beans have a crunchy, asparagus-like taste. Leaves similar to spinach.

  Raise seedlings, 20mm. Germination 7-21 days @ 25-30°C.Perennial (grown as an annual in cool climates). Rows 100cm, Height 300cm, Spacing 25cm. 120-240 days.

  Best months in Tropical Climates: JAN APR MAY JUN NOV DEC (Click for full sowing chart, grow guide and more)

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Tips for gardening in autumn:

Harvest harvest harvest! Get the most from your summer gardening efforts by harvesting leafy greens, herbs and fruit before they set seed or the cooling weather stops them producing. Harvesting regularly can extend the cropping season of many vegetables into autumn, boosting your harvest and creating opportunities to preserve excess produce. Frost-tender herbs like basil can be harvested, chopped and frozen to use through winter.

Succession planting: If summer crops are still producing, start your early autumn seeds in seedling trays so they’re ready to plant out once warm-season veggies are removed. Leafy greens can also be succession planted, starting a third of a packet of seeds each month. This approach to planting avoids gluts and gaps in production and is the key to growing vegetables year-round.

End of season clean-up: As summer crops end their productive lives, remove them to the compost bin along with any fallen fruit. Be vigilant about dealing with weeds before they set seed. Tidy and store stakes and trellises that won’t be needed over winter. Leave some stems and seed heads of flowers in situ to provide food and nesting material for birds and insects.

Build soil health: Autumn is a good time to enrich your soil with organic matter so it’s ready for new planting. Spread a layer of compost on the surface before planting seeds or seedlings - there’s no need to dig it in, the worms and other invertebrates in your garden will do that work for you. If growing ‘hungry’ crops including brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale or cauliflower), add some aged animal manure or slow-release fertiliser to feed your crops through winter.

 

Pests and diseases to look out for in autumn:

Cabbage moth and cabbage white butterfly: These white moths and butterflies seem to be in plague proportions in some states this year! They love all brassicas, often laying their eggs on the underside of leaves. The caterpillars match the colour of the leaves they feed on and often lie along the mid-ribs of leaves, making them tricky to see. They’re voracious feeders, creating large holes in leaves and sometimes skeletonising them.

Use netting to exclude butterflies and moths or decoys to deter them, pick the caterpillars off the plants or use an appropriate spray such as Dipel. Planting brassicas a little later in the season, when the temperatures have started to drop, can avoid the problem altogether as cabbage moths and cabbage white butterflies are less active in cool weather.

Powdery mildew: Caused by fungal spores reproducing on the leaves of plants, powdery mildew first looks like white spots on leaves, but affected areas can spread quickly to cover the entire leaf surface with a white powdery coating. While rarely fatal, powdery mildew can reduce yields. Water plants at soil level (not on the leaves) to prevent spores splashing from plant to plant, allow good air flow between plants, remove affected leaves and if necessary spray with an appropriate fungicide or homemade spray. 

Bi-carb of soda, also known as baking soda or sodium bicarbonate, is known to be effective at reducing powdery mildew and several other common fungus problems without posing the toxic risks of other treatments. Simply dissolve a teaspoon of the powder into one litre of ordinary water and add a few drops of liquid soap to help the mixture stick to the leaves. Pour the mixture into a regular garden sprayer or mister, shake it thoroughly, and spray liberally over the affected plants.
 

Product code: SS_VEG_TROP_AUT_2024_WA