Out of the cold and into glorious Spring, September is a fantastic time for gardeners to get into the garden. The afternoons are getting longer, and the chill is mostly gone from the mornings and evenings. So, need some inspiration for what plants to get in the garden in your area? Check out our complete list below.
What to plant now in Australia?
Check out our regional zone planting guide. Find which zone you are in on the map.
🌴 Tropical Zone
📍 Includes: Exmouth WA to south Townsville QLD, including Darwin and the Northern Territory’s Top End
September sits at the tail end of the dry season, with humidity beginning to build ahead of the wet. It’s a good window to get trees and shrubs established before the heat intensifies, and to plant heat-tolerant vegetables while water is easier to manage.
🥦 FRUIT & VEGETABLES: bok choy, capsicum, carrot, chilli, choko, eggplant, ginger, okra, pak choi, pumpkin, rosella, spring onion, sweetcorn, sweet potato and tomato.
🌿 HERBS: basil.
🌸 FLOWERS: alyssum, amaranthus, begonia, californian poppy, carnation, dahlia, dianthus, gerbera, impatiens, marigold, nasturtium, petunia, phlox, portulaca, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower, verbena and zinnia.
Note: hold off on moisture-hungry crops like ginger and galangal unless you can water them consistently, otherwise wait for the first storms
🌤 Subtropical Zone
📍 Includes: Brisbane, Bundaberg, Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Mackay, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast
Subtropical gardeners get to enjoy the best of both worlds this month — harvesting the last winter brassicas while planting out summer favourites.
🥦 FRUIT & VEGETABLES: artichoke (globe), asparagus crowns, beans (french and climbing), beetroot, bok choy, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, celery, chilli, choko, eggplant, ginger, jerusalem artichoke, lettuce, melon, okra, pak choi, potato, pumpkin, radish, rocket, rosella, silverbeet, spring onion, sweetcorn, sweet potato, tomato, turnip and zucchini/squash.
🌿 HERBS: basil, chives and coriander.
🌸 FLOWERS: alyssum, amaranthus, begonia, billy buttons, californian poppy, carnation, dahlia, dianthus, everlasting daisy, gerbera, impatiens, marigold, nasturtium, petunia, phlox, portulaca, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower, verbena and zinnia.
☀️ Arid / Semi-Arid Zone
📍 Includes: Alice Springs, Mildura, Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo
Arid September planting leans on crops that can handle heat swings and lower, less consistent rainfall
🥦 FRUIT & VEGETABLES: artichoke (globe), asparagus crowns, beans (french and climbing), beetroot, bok choy, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, celery, chilli, eggplant, ginger, jerusalem artichoke, kale, lettuce, melon, okra, onion, pak choi, peas, potato, pumpkin, radish, rocket, rosella, silverbeet, spring onion, sweetcorn, sweet potato, tomato, turnip and zucchini/squash.
🌿 HERBS: basil, chives and coriander.
🌸 FLOWERS: alyssum, billy buttons, californian poppy, carnation, delphinium, dianthus, everlasting daisy, gerbera, marigold, petunia, phlox, portulaca, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower and zinnia.
🌿 Warm Temperate Zone
📍 Includes: Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Toowoomba, Central Coast NSW, Wollongong, Bunbury
This is the zone where the “don’t rush it” rule matters most. Cool-season vegetables (peas, broccoli, cabbage, silverbeet) can go straight in, but tender summer crops like tomatoes and capsicum are still vulnerable to a late frost this early in spring — so they’re either started indoors/under cover or held until closer to mid-October when overnight temperatures stabilise above 10°C.
🥦 FRUIT & VEGETABLES: artichoke (globe), asparagus crowns, beans (french and climbing), beetroot, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, celery, chilli, eggplant, endive, jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, melon, onion, pak choi, peas, potato, pumpkin, radish, rocket, silverbeet, snow peas, spring onion, tomato, turnip and zucchini/squash.
🌿 HERBS: basil, chives and coriander.
🌸 FLOWERS: alyssum, amaranthus, begonia, billy buttons, californian poppy, carnation, dahlia, delphinium, dianthus, everlasting daisy, gerbera, impatiens, marigold, nasturtium, petunia, phlox, portulaca, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower, verbena and zinnia.
❄️ Cold Temperate Zone
📍 Includes: Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mt Gambier
Spring arrives later and more cautiously here. September is still frost season in many of these areas, so the safest bets are cold-hardy vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, silverbeet, peas) and just one herb — coriander — that tolerates the cooler soil. Warm-season crops are best started indoors and hardened off gradually rather than planted straight into open ground.
🥦 FRUIT & VEGETABLES: artichoke (globe), asparagus crowns, beetroot, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, celery, chilli, eggplant, endive, jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, melon, onion, pak choi, peas, potato, pumpkin, radish, rocket, silverbeet, snow peas, spring onion, tomato, turnip and zucchini/squash.
🌿 HERBS: coriander.
🌸 FLOWERS: alyssum, cineraria, delphinium, everlasting daisy, snapdragon and sweet pea.
A Few Things Worth Doing in September
Before you get carried away with seed packets, a few things worth doing first – the kind of small, unglamorous jobs that save you a wasted season down the line.
- Hold off on planting herbs until the frosts have properly cleared in your area. A week’s patience now beats losing a tray of seedlings to one last cold snap.
- Top up mulch across your veggie patches, herb beds and ornamentals. It’s one of the simplest things you can do for soil health, and it means less watering and less weeding for the rest of spring.
- If you’re growing in containers, start increasing how often – and how much – you water. Pots dry out fast once the weather warms, and a stressed root system undoes a lot of good work.
Give your indoor plants some love with a fresh pot and mulch, then treat them to a Munash Organics Indoor Plant Seaweed Tonic afterwards – it’s a gentle, seaweed-based pick-me-up that helps them settle into the new pot without shock.
If a patch of your garden’s looking tired or overworked, consider sowing a Green Manure Mix (Spring/Summer) over it instead of planting straight away. It’s a simple, low-effort way to rebuild soil life before you ask more of it.
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Watch for Aphids
New spring growth is soft, sappy and exactly what aphids are after – and they breed fast once they find it. You’ll spot them clustered under leaves and along new stems in green, orange, black or grey, usually just 2–3mm long. Left alone, they weaken new growth, distort leaves, and can spread sooty mould and viruses through the plant.
The organic-approved fix: spray affected plants with OCP Eco-Neem Insecticide Concentrate or OCP Eco-Oil. Both control the aphids without harming the ladybeetles, lacewings and hoverflies you actually want sticking around to help.
Ready When You Are
However much of the garden you’re tackling this September, the right tool makes the job easier and the results last longer — which, in the end, is the whole point. Browse our full range of seeds, watering cans and organic pest solutions, or head back to explore our other seasonal guides.
