Autumn Gardening Guide: What And When To Plant This Autumn

Well, summer is officially done for another year. Autumn brings the ideal time to get planting! 

We are here to answer the question of what plants are best to plant in Autumn.

If you haven’t dug your vegetable patch yet, we will also attempt to answer what vegetables grow in autumn in Australia.

Is Autumn a good time to plant?

Autumn is a great time to plant most plants and vegetables. Soil temperatures are still warm enough to encourage root growth, and milder temperatures reduce water stress. Young plants planted into gardens in autumn have a good chance to settle in well, making optimum growth under and above ground before they have to cope with Australia’s unforgiving summer sun. Often spring brings with it a blast of early high temperatures, which can stress younger plants if their roots have not been established.

What to plant in Autumn?

Cannot decide which is the best plant, veggie, or herb for autumn? This list will answer all your questions.

Citrus Trees

Citrus needs a good sunny spot and can be planted in the ground, or if you’re short on space dwarf varieties are ideal for pots in courtyards and on balconies. It’s important to feed these plants regularly to promote healthy green foliage and a bumper harvest. These are best planted at the beginning of Autumn.

Autumn foliage trees and shrubs

When it comes to shrubs, the question is what is good to plant in autumn? Visiting your local nursery this season is a great time to see a wide variety of autumnal colour, like Japanese maples, crepe myrtles, Chinese pistachio and flowering cherries. Plenty of colour and leafiness – these shrubs will start to produce good results by the following Spring/ early Summer. 

Veggies

If you are wondering what to plant in Autumn when it comes to your veggie patch, it’s an excellent time to plant many underground, root vegetables, especially healthy favourites like kale, beetroot, cabbage, broccoli, onions, Brussels sprouts and silverbeet are perfect for growing in the cooler months. Cooler season veggies like baby leaf spinach, silverbeet, baby beetroot, onions, broad beans, spring onions, kale, lettuce and cauliflower are ideal to plant now.

Flowers

Seeds of annual flowers such as sweet peas, Flanders and Shirley poppies and calendula can be sown in autumn and will produce beautiful blooms in late winter and spring. According to my favourite Autumn gardening guide, you can grow them in garden beds, pots or hanging baskets to brighten up your outdoor space. 

Natives

What to grow in Autumn in Australia, nothing can be better than some true Aussie natives! Mild autumn conditions are perfect for planting many Australian native trees and shrubs like bottlebrush, grevillea, banksia, lilly pilly and tea tree. There’s such a huge variety available, ranging from ground covers and hedging plants, to varieties suitable for growing in smaller pots and containers.

Herbs

If you are a herb fan, you might be wondering what to plant in your Autumn garden. Herbs do well when planted in autumn. Coriander, rocket, chives, thai basil and parsley can all be grown from seed or seedlings in autumn and will ensure your kitchen is kept stocked with aromatic and delicious home grown herbs from mid-Winter onwards. 

Bulbs

Part of my favourite Autumn planting guide says to plant bulbs for daffodils, freesias, tulips, hyacinths and anemones and enjoy their show stopping flower displays in late winter and spring. Spring flowering bulbs can be planted in tight groups or line formats in your flower beds, or indeed in small plant pots.

When exactly to plant in Autumn?

So we have answered the question of what should I plant in Autumn? But now we really need to know when. The simple answer is: anytime, but as early as possible. What you want is to plant when the temperatures are beginning to drop off, but before it gets too cold. Typically in Sydney this is later in Autumn, but anytime can work. 

So in conclusion, Autumn is the most important time of year to be doing your planting as it’s when you should be planting most of your garden!