What to plant in October in Canberra
Canberra has a cool climate. The last frost is usually over by 21 September (safe after 27 September); the first autumn frost comes around 30 May. Worked out from ten years of daily weather (2016–2025), not from a national zone map.
Sow now
- ThymeOct–Apr · just started
- PeaAug–Oct · last chance
- Snow peaAug–Nov · last chance
- English spinachFeb–Nov · last chance
- Wombok (Chinese cabbage)Sep–Nov · last chance
- BroccoliSep–Oct · last chance
- CauliflowerSep–Oct · last chance
- Red cabbageSep–Nov · last chance
- ParsnipAug–Oct · last chance
- SwedeSep–Oct · last chance
- OnionSep–Oct · last chance
- Lettuce (loose-leaf)Sep–May
Also: butterhead lettuce, cos lettuce, silverbeet, rocket, mustard greens, pak choi, cabbage, kohlrabi, carrot, beetroot, spring onion, coriander, dill, parsley, chives, kale, radish, turnip.
Plant out seedlings
Plan it for your own garden
Ouleo turns this into reminders on your days off — even on shift work — with frost and heat alerts from the forecast for your street, not the city centre.
Canberra sowing calendar
S Sow outdoors (or plant seedlings, where both work)P Plant out seedlingsI Start seed indoors
| Crop | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruiting vegetables | ||||||||||||
| Tomato | P | I | P | P | P | |||||||
| Capsicum | I | I | P | P | ||||||||
| Chilli | I | I | P | P | ||||||||
| Eggplant | I | I | P | |||||||||
| Cucumber | S | I | S | S | ||||||||
| Zucchini | S | S | I | S | S | |||||||
| Pumpkin | I | S | S | |||||||||
| Rockmelon | I | S | ||||||||||
| Watermelon | I | S | ||||||||||
| Sweet corn | S | S | S | |||||||||
| Dwarf bean | S | S | S | S | ||||||||
| Climbing bean | S | S | S | S | ||||||||
| Sunflower | S | S | S | |||||||||
| Chayote | P | P | ||||||||||
| Peas and beans for the cool season | ||||||||||||
| Pea | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | |||||
| Snow pea | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | ||||
| Broad bean | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | |||||
| Salads and leafy greens | ||||||||||||
| New Zealand spinach | S | S | S | I | S | S | ||||||
| Malabar spinach | S | I | S | |||||||||
| Okinawa spinach | P | P | ||||||||||
| Lettuce (loose-leaf) | S | S | S | S | S | I | S | S | S | S | ||
| Butterhead lettuce | S | S | S | S | S | I | S | S | S | S | ||
| Cos lettuce | S | S | S | S | S | I | S | S | S | S | ||
| English spinach | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | ||
| Silverbeet | S | S | S | S | S | I | S | S | S | S | ||
| Rocket | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | ||
| Mustard greens | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | |||
| Celery | P | P | P | I | I | P | P | P | ||||
| Cabbage family | ||||||||||||
| Pak choi | S | S | S | S | S | I | S | S | S | S | ||
| Wombok (Chinese cabbage) | S | S | S | S | I | S | S | S | I | |||
| Kale | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| Broccoli | I | S | S | S | I | S | S | |||||
| Cauliflower | I | S | S | S | I | S | S | |||||
| Cabbage | S | S | S | S | S | I | S | S | S | S | ||
| Red cabbage | S | S | S | S | S | I | S | S | S | I | ||
| Brussels sprouts | P | P | P | I | ||||||||
| Kohlrabi | S | S | S | S | S | I | S | S | S | S | ||
| Roots and tubers | ||||||||||||
| Carrot | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | ||||
| Beetroot | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | |||
| Radish | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| Parsnip | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | ||||
| Turnip | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| Swede | S | S | S | S | S | S | ||||||
| Potato | P | P | P | P | ||||||||
| Onion family | ||||||||||||
| Onion | I | I | S | S | S | I | I | S | S | I | S | |
| Spring onion | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | |||
| Leek | P | P | P | P | P | I | I | P | P | P | P | |
| Garlic | P | P | P | |||||||||
| Herbs | ||||||||||||
| Basil | S | S | I | S | S | |||||||
| Coriander | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | |||
| Dill | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | ||||
| Parsley | S | S | S | S | S | I | S | S | S | S | ||
| Chives | S | S | S | S | I | S | S | S | S | |||
| Thyme | S | S | S | S | I | I | S | S | S | |||
10 common crops are left out because this climate does not suit them outdoors.
City-centre climate. Gardens in frost hollows or the hills get later spring frosts and earlier autumn ones; a greenhouse or a sheltered north-facing wall widens every window. Set your own location in Ouleo for your garden's calendar.