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!
Pumpkin & Winter Squash Seeds_
Guides
-
How to Grow Pumpkin & Winter Squash Seeds
A comprehensive guide on how to grow Pumpkin & Winter Squash Seeds; including soil preparation and position, when and how to sow, when and how to harvest and common pests and diseases. View guide.
-
Seed Saving Guide: Squash, Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata)
A guide on how to save Pumpkin seeds; including pollination type, isolation distance, when to harvest and best cleaning methods. View guide.
-
Seed Saving Guide: Squash, Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima)
A guide on how to save Squash seeds; including pollination type, isolation distance, when to harvest and best cleaning methods. View guide.
-
Seed Saving Guide: Squash, Pumpkin (Cucurbita argyrosperma)
A guide on how to save Winter Squash seeds; including pollination type, isolation distance, when to harvest and best cleaning methods. View guide.
-
Seed Saving Guide: Squash, Pumpkin, Gourd (Cucurbita pepo)
A guide on how to save Summer Squash seeds; including pollination type, isolation distance, when to harvest and best cleaning methods. View guide.
More Related Content
-
Hand Pollinating Cucurbits
If you find that your Cucurbits are not setting fruit and the flowers are simply falling off , you might have a pollination problem. There’s an easy solution: hand pollination. Read article.
-
How to Harvest and Store Pumpkins
Pumpkin, Gourd and Winter Squash are all popular vegetables to grow in the home garden but how and when is the best time to harvest them? This article describes how to harvest and store pumpkins for best flavor and longest storage life. Read article.
-
Using the 'Three Sisters' Method to Grow Corn, Beans, and Squash - Companion Planting at Its Best
One of the oldest natural growing techniques is companion planting, where combinations of plants are grown together, each providing benefits to the others for mutual success. The 'Three Sisters' method is one of the more famous companion planting schemes. Read article.
-
How to Grow Giant Pumpkins: A Short Guide for Enormous Results
Pumpkins are an impressive crop, bringing colour & drama throughout summer and autumn. But if you want your gourds to be real talking point, size matters. The lessons learned by competitive pumpkin growers can give your fruits a healthy boost in stature. Read article.
-
High-Yield Vegetables - How to Get the Most from Your Veggie Patch
It may be great fun to experiment with growing unusual crop varieties, but if your harvest is a disappointment it can quickly make gardening a chore rather than a pleasure. This article describes ten productive plants all veggie growers should consider. Read article.
-
Why You Should Grow from Seed with Kids - and the Best Ways to Get Started Doing It
Gardening is a fun and healthy activity for kids however the benefits go far beyond that- an early interest in gardening teaches many life lessons. This article explains what they are and describes the best ways to start your child's gardening journey. Read article.
-
Powdery Mildew: How to Deal with the Cucurbits' Most Common Problem
Cucurbits such as zucchini, pumpkin, and other squashes are all vulnerable to a powdery mildew infection which can limit productivity. Here's how to reduce the chances of an infection, and deal with the problem if it crops up. Read article.
-
Let's make Stuffed Roasted Sweet Dumpling Squash
This recipe makes a great healthy and hearty meal using fresh home-grown veggies! Read article.
-
Plants to Grow to Supplement Your Chickens’ Feed
Chickens love to forage on all kinds of veggie patch scraps and kitchen trimmings. But you can vary their diet even more by growing some plants specifically as chicken feed supplements. Here are some of the easiest and best ideas to try. Read article.
-
Perfect Partners: How Interplanting Can Boost Gardening Success
Interplanting two or more crops together can boost the health and productivity of your veggie garden. It can also add convenience to your growing and harvesting, as this article explains. Read article.
-
Heirloom Pumpkins and Winter Squash
Heirloom pumpkins come in all shapes, colours and textures, making them a decorative as well as productive crop. Here are the stories behind six of our favourite heirloom pumpkins and winter squash. Read article.
-
How to Grow and Cook Spaghetti Squash AKA Vegetable Spaghetti
Spaghetti squash is a versatile winter vegetable that develops a unique noodle-like texture once it's cooked. Here's what you need to know to grow it from seed and make the most of its distinctive qualities in the kitchen. Read article.
-
Be the Talk of Your Neighbourhood: Grow Tromboncino!
Tromboncino is an heirloom squash native to Italy, but it grows very well in Australia, producing pale-green, striped fruit somewhere between a huge zucchini and a butternut pumpkin. The fruit’s unusual curling habit will be the talk of your neighborhood! Read article.
