Growing plants from seed seems like a part of gardening that’s only reserved for the experienced. However, it’s much easier than you think! When you plant at the right time, in the right climate, growing your own fruits and vegies is a very simple task. Use good quality seeds (such as those from The Diggers Club), and follow the seed planting guide below to see when you should be sowing and harvesting your backyard crops.
Why should you grow plants from seed?
You can buy beans, raspberries and baby potatoes in the middle of winter, grapefruit at the height of summer, and onions at any time of the year – even in the tropics. But getting this produce into our supermarkets 365 days a year means it’s often flown in from overseas, trucked across the country, or has spent time in cold storage.
(Photography: Will Horner, Styling: Nonci Nyoni)
These factors add to the cost of much of our fruit and vegies, as well as racking up carbon miles. It also means we’ve forgotten the joy of eating seasonally. The dramatic impact a bowl of raspberries has on our palates in summer desserts is lost on so many of us when they’re available all year round!
The good news is you don’t need a big plot of land to grow your own fruit and vegies. In fact, you don’t need any land at all. If the only available space you have is an apartment balcony or a courtyard, you can simply grow your soon-to-be-abundant crops in containers.
If you’re starting out, try a wicking bed where a reservoir of water sits under the potting mix and the plants’ roots draw up water whenever they’re thirsty. This process is called capillary action. It’s so easy to make and a plant-saver if you have brown thumbs.
The BHG seed planting guide
For specific fruits and vegies you want to plant, grow and eat, we’ve got all the info you need, including when to sow based on climate and how you’ll have to wait before you can harvest!
If you’re still stuck on which plants to grow, you can buy a seed box from The Diggers Club instead. With options like ‘Productive Patch Vegetable Collection’ and ‘Budget Breaker’, you’ll be set for an abundant backyard all year.
Bulbs and roots
Grow bulbs and root vegies in healthy soil, as all the magic happens underground.
Berries
Strawberries can grow in all areas of Australia at any time, depending on the variety. Your local nursery will stock the ones suitable for your climate. Plant in autumn to have fruit in spring and summer.
If you love blueberries, try to buy a bush that’s about 2–3 years old, when the fruit starts to appear, and plant it in spring. The development of new varieties means they can grow in different climates. They produce berries from July to April, but the peak season is from October to February.
If you’re a glutton for raspberries, grow both the summer-fruiting variety and the autumn-fruiting variety. They grow on canes, so they need a bit of room, and most of these canes have thorns, so plant them away from pathways. Raspberries grow best in cold or cool climates.
A grape vine draped over a pergola is sheer indulgence – plus you get shade in summer and sun in winter. Grapes thrive in a Mediterranean climate and produce fruit from February to May.
Herbs
Imagine all the dishes you could add coriander or parsley to! No more spending $5 a piece for a bunch of herbs.
For perennial herbs: chives, marjoram, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme are small perennial bushes that, once established, can be harvested at any time. In fact, constant cutting back encourages new growth. They prefer a Mediterranean climate but can grow anywhere, except where it snows in winter. They also look pretty nestled in your ornamental garden!
Climbing vegies
Avoid paying for overpriced salad leaves by growing your own nutritious greens.
Leafy greens
Leafy greens are great for your vegie patch, as they give and give and give. Here’s what to plant and when:
Fruiting
Fruiting vegies work well for families that need to get their 5 a day in.
Brassica plants
Brassica plants are full of fibre, making them perfect to add to dinner.
The parts of broccoli and cauliflower that we eat are a cluster of immature flower buds. If left on the plant, these buds open into creamy or yellow flowers, from which you can collect seeds.
Citrus
Lemon trees like temperate, Mediterranean or subtropical climates. The Eureka variety produces fruit year-round. Lisbon and Meyer are more cold tolerant. Both fruit in winter.
Juicy Valencia orange trees grow in warm and hot climates and the fruit ripens from October to April. Seedless Washington Navel trees grow best in temperate climates and the fruit matures from May to September.
Grapefruit is best grown in warm climates, with fruit maturing in May to July. Grow Honey Murcott mandarins in warm, temperate and subtropical areas and harvest from August to October. Satsumas are better in cool areas for an April to May harvest and the more cold-tolerant but frost-hating Imperial produces fruit from April to July.
Lime trees produce fruit in winter in cool climates and are ever-bearing in warmer areas. The native finger lime tree thrives in the humid areas of northern NSW and southern Queensland and fruit matures in March to May.
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Garden editor & horticulturist
Jenny Dillon
Garden editor
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