We are commencing the 2nd month of the Spring season. In Perth and the South West region we are at the start of the Noongar season called Kamarang.
This season has a definite warming trend accompanied by longer dry periods and fewer cold fronts crossing the coast. We are in the height of the wildflower season!
This is a peak time of the year to get many vegetable, fruit and herb seeds germinating in mediterranean and temperate regions of Australia.
We have compiled a planting list of some of the common seeds to sow in October in this region including germination and harvesting times followed by a fabulous method of growing healthy and strong seedlings from seed.
Seeds to Sow Now
Plant |
How to Sow |
Germination Time |
Time Until Harvest |
Other Tips |
|
Amaranth |
Sow directly into garden bed Sept-Mar |
8-10 days |
26 weeks |
Grow in fertile, well drained soil |
|
Basil |
Sow into a seedling flat as soon as night time temperature is above 10degC in September |
5-15 days |
10-12 weeks |
Pinch off growth and flowers to encourage bushy growth. Plant near tomatoes to improve growth and flavour |
|
Dwarf Beans |
Sow directly into the garden Aug-Feb or transplant in biodegradable pots. Needs warm soil |
7-13 days |
8-12 weeks |
Plant near celery or cucumber |
|
Beetroot |
Sow directly into the garden or in seedling flats at any time |
7-14 days |
10-12 weeks |
Add leaves as a sweet addition to salads |
|
Borage |
Sow directly into garden Sept-Nov and only lightly sprinkle with soil. Biennial plant |
5-10 days |
Harvest leaves and flowers as needed |
Attracts beneficial insects & bees. Plant with tomatoes, squash, and strawberries |
|
Burdock |
Sow directly into garden Sept-Apr |
4-7 days |
17-18 weeks |
Cook young leaves like spinach and harvest root when young |
|
Capsicum |
Best sown in a seedling flat in warm weather Sept-Nov |
7-14 days |
10-16 weeks |
Keep well watered when fruiting |
|
Carrot |
Sow directly into the garden Aug-May and only lightly sprinkle with soil as they need light to germinate |
14-21 days |
12-16 weeks |
Water seedlings well |
|
Celery |
Best sown in a seedling flat and then transplant into garden |
10-21 days |
12-18 weeks |
Plant near dill but away from beans and tomatoes |
|
Chillies |
Sow in a seedling flat or tray and plant out in 6 weeks. |
7-14 days |
2-5 months |
Semi-perennial plants |
|
Corn |
Sow close 20-30cm apart to enhance pollination |
6-10 days |
11-14 weeks |
Grow with beans and pumpkin - (the three sisters). Don't over water seeds after first water |
|
Cucumber |
Sow directly into garden when weather gets warm Sept-Mar or transplant in biodegradable pots. Cover with soil |
5-10 days |
8-12 weeks |
Increase watering when fruiting. Beware of mould if overwatered or high levels of humidity |
|
Dill |
Sow directly into the garden Sept-Nov |
7-15 days |
8-12 weeks |
Plant near celery buy away from beans and tomatoes. Fabulous IPM plant |
|
Eggplant |
Best sown in a seedling flat Sept-Nov and lightly sprinkle with soil |
7-14 days |
16-18 weeks |
Loves the heat |
|
Endive |
Sow directly into the garden Aug-Nov |
10-14 days |
8-12 weeks |
Salad vegetable with peppery taste |
|
Jerusalem Artichoke |
Sow directly into garden bed |
5-10 days |
15-20 weeks |
Produces many tubers, easy to grow and can handle many soil types |
|
Lettuce |
Sow into seedling flats all year |
4-14 days |
6-12 weeks |
Pick Cos lettuce leaves as growing. Transplant into part shade in summer. |
|
Lemon Balm |
Sow directly into the garden Oct-Nov |
12-21 days |
8-10 weeks |
Great as a culinary herb and for Integrated Pest Management |
|
Melons |
Sow directly into garden bed Sept-Feb |
7-14 days |
14-16 weeks |
Needs warm weather. |
|
Okra |
Sow directly into garden bed Oct to Nov and transplant into garden bed Dec to Jan |
8-13 days |
11-14 weeks |
Grow with capsicum, chilli and eggplant. Pick pods while young. Edible flowers. |
|
Pumpkin & Squash |
Sow directly into garden Aug-Oct |
6-10 days |
14-16 weeks |
Need lots of space. Good companion with corn |
|
Tomatoes |
Sow in a seedling flat or directly into a garden bed Nov -Dec |
7-14 days |
12-20 weeks |
Plant near Basil and Marigolds for integrated pest management. Allow good airflow to reduce disease potential |
|
Zucchini |
Sow direct into a garden beds Sept to Nov. |
5-10 days |
8-14 weeks |
Avoid watering on leaves as this can increase mould, which reduces fruiting |
How to Sow Seeds using a Seedling Flat
Seedling flats or trays are a fabulous way to germinate seeds, grow healthy seedlings and to use for succession planting to extend the harvest.
They allow your plants to start out and thrive in a protected, nutritious, and microbe-rich soil to produce strong seedlings that are more likely to succeed.
A range of different seed types can be sown into the one flat. Ideally you plant what you want to grow for the season in one or as many flats as you need.
Flats allow you to easily move your seeds into environments that are not too cold or hot as conditions change and in sight to ensure they are kept moist.
The seedlings will not fully mature in the seedling flat - they are a tool for nurturing young seedlings to a size ready for plant out into garden beds or containers.
Seed Sowing Method
- Make a list of the seeds you have and want to grow for the season
- Write the name of each seed you are going to sow on a label eg. a pop stick.
- Fill your seedling flat with quality, seed raising soil (such as Bioactive Cocopeat) that is full of life and diverse inputs to provide plants with what they need to grow strong and fight disease and pests. It needs to be a light, well drained soil as seeds need air and moisture to germinate. We can guide you to create your own compost and seed raising mix.
- If using, place a seed template on the edge of the flat. Our seed template creates an equidistant planting guide using a hexagonal shape. It is not a necessity and you can ensure each seedling will have enough space by eye or other measuring methods.
- Place the labels to identify the seeds being planted in each row or in each flat.
- Use a seed dibber or pointy object to make shallow furrows or evenly-spaced indents to the depth needed for each seed. Seed sowing depth guidelines are; fine seeds are sown on the soil surface, sow other seeds 3 x the diameter of the seed and if oblong between 1 to 3 times the length of the seed.
- If using, remove the template and gently put each seed to bed by filling the furrow or hole and gently pressing down the soil surface over the seeds.
- Moisten the soil with a misting nozzle or misting bottle. Germinating seeds need constant moisture and will not germinate if they dry out.
Succession Planting
When seedlings have grown to a decent size (approx. 10 - 20cm) transplant the seedlings using a transplanter trowel into your garden where they will grow to maturity
Seedling flats are a great tool for succession planting where you purposefully transplant the same type of seedling into the garden a week or so apart so that they will mature and be ready for harvesting one after the other, this reduces the glut and increases the harvesting period.
Other Uses and Benefits
Using wooden seedling flats to grow your garden from seeds is a zero-waste way to garden!
It allows us to avoid buying stacks of single-use plastic punnets and pots that often head straight to landfill. It feels amazing being able to grow our gardens consciously without detriment to the Earth. The flats are also compostable at the end of their life.
Furthermore, flats are great to grow microgreens in, they are handy for travellers and those on the move, they will last for many years and weather gracefully.
Our seedling flats are made by the Vic Park Mens Shed and Rippa Woodturning.
Wishing you lots of happy sowing success and bumper crops!! 🌻
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