Veggie, herb and flower seedlings for Swan Hill's two growing seasons. We'll tell you what to plant, when to plant it and how to keep it alive through the heat, because our summers are nothing like the ones most planting guides are written for.
The Mallee works on two planting windows: spring, from about September to November, and autumn, from late February to April. In between, summer is mostly about protecting what's already in the ground, and winter belongs to the cool-season crops that grow well in the cold.
The trick is to work with the seasons, not against them. Plant at the right time, water the right way and give seedlings some help through the worst of the heat, and you'll grow more food than you'd expect.
Most gardening guides are written for Melbourne or the coast. Swan Hill has 40°C summers, frosts from mid-May to early September and very little rain. Plant by a national calendar and you can lose half your seedlings before Christmas.
Tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber, zucchini, beans, corn, basil and eggplant. Plant after the last frost, usually early September, and get them established before the real heat arrives in December.
As the heat eases, plant broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, silverbeet, kale, lettuce and Asian greens. They love the cooler months ahead and keep going through to a winter harvest.
Peas, broad beans, garlic and root vegetables handle frost and grow well in the cold. Brassicas planted in autumn keep producing right through.
Planting new seedlings in a Swan Hill summer is a battle. Protect what's already in the ground with shade cloth and deep mulch, and save new transplants for autumn.
Built around Swan Hill's own frost dates, not a national average. Frosts usually run from mid-May to early September. This month's column is outlined in red.
| Crop | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | Risky | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | OK | Best | Best | Risky |
| Capsicum and chilli | OK | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | OK | Best | Best | OK |
| Cucumber and zucchini | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | OK | Best | Best | Risky |
| Sweet corn | Risky | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Best | Best | OK |
| Beans | Risky | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | OK | Best | Best | OK |
| Basil | Risky | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | OK | Best | Best | OK |
| Broccoli and cauliflower | Don't plant | OK | Best | Best | Frost | Frost | Frost | OK | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant |
| Lettuce and greens | Don't plant | OK | Best | Best | OK | Frost | Frost | OK | OK | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant |
| Peas | Don't plant | Don't plant | OK | Best | Best | Frost | Frost | Best | OK | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant |
| Silverbeet and kale | Don't plant | Best | Best | Best | OK | Frost | Frost | OK | OK | Don't plant | Don't plant | Don't plant |
In short: plant warm-season crops like tomatoes, capsicum and cucumber from September to November, with October and November the best months of all. Plant cool-season crops like broccoli, lettuce, peas and silverbeet from February to April. Hold off on most new seedlings in December and January. On a phone, swipe the calendar sideways to see the whole year.
October and November are the best months to plant tomatoes in Swan Hill. September is OK once the frosts are over. December and January are risky, because young plants hit the worst of the heat before their roots are down.
The aim is to plant after the last frost and before the real heat. Around here, frosts usually run from mid-May to early September, and the hot weather arrives in December. October and November sit right in the gap.
For tomatoes right through a Swan Hill summer, grow some cherry types. Cherry tomatoes start dropping their flowers above about 35°C and large-fruited types above about 30°C, so the little ones keep setting fruit on days that stop the big ones. We stock cherry types like Tommy Toe and Sungold, plus romas and beefsteaks.
After the last frost and before the real heat. The best months of the year to plant tomatoes here.
Fine once the frosts are done. Check the five-day forecast first, because a late frost can still hit in September.
Young plants meet the worst of the heat before they're established. Shade cloth and deep watering are a must.
Too late for a crop before the cold sets in, then too cold to grow. Plan your tomatoes for spring.
Summer crops, winter crops and herbs, with notes on how each one copes in Swan Hill and when it goes in.
Summer cropPlant Oct to Nov
Cherry types like Tommy Toe and Sungold, plus romas and beefsteaks. Cherry tomatoes handle Swan Hill's heat far better than large-fruited types and keep setting fruit after the big ones stop.
Summer cropPlant Oct to Nov
One of the best crops for Swan Hill. Capsicum and chilli love the heat and do brilliantly in a Mallee summer: sweet capsicums, banana peppers and chillies of every heat level, producing well into autumn.
Summer cropPlant Sep to Nov
Fast and prolific: cucumbers love warm soil and long Mallee days. Plant early enough to get established before the worst heat, keep up the water, and you'll be picking within 8 weeks. Lebanese and long green types both do well here.
Summer cropPlant Oct to Nov
Probably the easiest summer crop in Swan Hill. Zucchini keeps producing through the heat with very little fuss and copes with dry spells once established. Butternut pumpkin and other squash suit Mallee conditions too.
Summer cropPlant Oct to Nov
Swan Hill's hot, sunny summers suit sweet corn, and all that heat and sunshine makes it taste better. Plant it in blocks at least four by four, not in rows, so it pollinates well. It needs water but pays you back by January.
Summer cropPlant Oct to Nov
Like capsicum, eggplant is a tropical plant that does very well in a Swan Hill summer. Handsome leaves and a long harvest from January to May. One of the most reliable summer crops in a Mallee veggie patch.
Winter cropPlant Mar to Apr
The workhorses of the Mallee winter garden. Plant in March or April and harvest from June to August. Don't plant them in spring: they bolt straight to flower in the October heat.
Winter cropPlant Feb to Apr
Two of the most reliable producers for Swan Hill. Silverbeet handles frost and mild heat, so plant it in late summer for a harvest that runs right through winter. Kale gets sweeter after a frost. Both are forgiving and productive.
Winter cropPlant Mar to May
Autumn and winter are the only reliable times for lettuce in Swan Hill: in summer heat it bolts and turns bitter almost at once. Loose-leaf types like oak leaf and butter lettuce hold up better than hearting types. Pak choi and bok choy are quick and easy through winter.
Winter cropPlant Apr to Aug
Peas and broad beans love a Mallee winter. They handle frost and keep growing through June and July. Plant early, in April or May, so they're established before the coldest frosts, and you'll be picking in August and September.
Winter cropPlant Mar to Apr
Slow to grow but productive over a long winter harvest. Cabbages are very frost tolerant once established and can handle a Swan Hill June without cover. Kohlrabi is underrated, quick and delicious raw.
Winter cropPlant Apr to Jun
Planted as seedlings in autumn, onions and leeks mature slowly through winter and spring for a harvest in November and December. Swan Hill's long, mild spring is ideal for bulking up onions before summer. Brown onions, red onions and leeks all do well.
HerbPlant Oct to Nov
Basil is a tropical plant and a Swan Hill summer suits it. Plant it in October and it takes off. Keep it watered, pinch off the flowers and it will produce right through to April. Don't try it in winter.
HerbYear round
One of the most versatile herbs for Swan Hill. Parsley grows in the cool and warm seasons, though it's best not planted in the middle of summer. Italian flat-leaf handles heat better than curly. Give it some afternoon shade in January and February.
HerbsYear round
The Mediterranean herbs suit Swan Hill's hot, dry conditions with very little fuss. Oregano and thyme need almost no care once established and prefer poor, well-drained soil. Chives handle both frost and heat.
Seasonal flower seedlings to brighten up garden beds, pots and window boxes. Stock changes with the season, so come in and see what's flowering now.
Swan Hill summers are hard on young plants. This is what works here, learned growing in this country, not from a gardening book written for Melbourne.
Hot soil and midday sun are hard on a new transplant. Plant in the evening, ideally after 5pm, so seedlings have the cool of the night to settle their roots before the next day's heat. Water them in well straight away. Swan Hill tip: on a day over 35°C, wait until the next evening, even if the seedlings have been sitting at home all day.
A light splash every day keeps roots near the surface, the worst place for them in a Swan Hill summer. Water less often, but soak the root zone when you do, so roots grow down to where the soil stays cooler and moister. Aim for two deep waterings a week rather than seven light ones. Check the soil 10 cm down: if it's still damp, skip a day.
Seedlings can die within hours in direct 42°C sun, and tomatoes drop their flowers in the heat: large types above about 30°C, cherry types above about 35°C. A frame of 30 to 50% shade cloth over the veggie bed through December and January is the difference between a harvest and a write-off. 30% shade suits tomatoes and capsicum. Go to 50% for lettuce, herbs and anything planted a bit late in the season.
A layer of mulch 75 to 100 mm deep keeps the soil 5 to 10°C cooler, slows evaporation and stops the surface crust that keeps water out of heavy clay. Straw, lucerne or wood chip all work. Just don't skimp on the depth. Keep mulch a palm's width from the stem. Mulch against the stem in warm weather invites collar rot.
When a 40°C day is forecast, prepare the evening before, not the morning of. Water deeply, check the shade cloth is in place and add an extra layer over anything vulnerable. Once a seedling wilts badly in extreme heat, it's hard to bring back. Don't fertilise during a heatwave. It stresses plants that are already struggling, so wait for the cooler weather.
Frosts usually run from mid-May to early September, and a late frost in September isn't unheard of. Tomatoes, capsicum, basil and cucumber are frost sensitive, so wait until the frosts are done and check the five-day forecast before they go in. Not sure if it's time yet? Ask us at the counter and we'll tell you.
Every crop has a temperature where it starts to struggle. Knowing them tells you what to protect first on a scorcher.
| Crop | Handles heat to about | What goes wrong above that | Swan Hill advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capsicum and chilli | 40°C and over | Very heat tolerant. Keeps flowering and fruiting through extreme heat. | Water consistently. Needs little shade. |
| Eggplant | 40°C and over | One of the most heat tolerant vegetables you can grow. | Keep it watered. It needs little other protection. |
| Zucchini and pumpkin | 38°C | Wilts in extreme heat but usually recovers overnight. | Mulch heavily and water in the morning. |
| Corn | 38°C | Kernel set can suffer above 35°C while it's pollinating. | Give it extra water while it flowers. That's the critical window. |
| Tomatoes (cherry) | 35°C | Flowers start to drop above about 35°C, so fruit won't set. | Shade cloth from December to February. Choose cherry types over large ones. |
| Tomatoes (large) | 30°C | Flowers drop above about 30°C, and production stops in extreme heat. | 30 to 50% shade cloth is essential. Water deeply every 2 days. |
| Cucumber | 35°C | Bitter fruit and poor setting above 35°C. | Afternoon shade in January. Keep the soil evenly moist. |
| Basil | 38°C | Runs to flower in the heat. | Pinch the tips often and water frequently. |
| Lettuce | 26°C | Bolts to flower and turns bitter fast. | Autumn and winter only. Never in summer. |
| Broccoli | 24°C | Bolts to flower before the heads form. | Plant in March or April only. Never in spring. |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
If you only grow one summer crop, make it capsicum or chilli. They do very well in a Swan Hill summer, need less babying than tomatoes and give you a big harvest over several months.
Hard to kill, quick to produce and prolific once it gets going. Plant one or two in October and by January you'll have more zucchini than you know what to do with.
Plant broccoli in March and it almost looks after itself through the cool months, with few pests, no bolting and a big harvest in June and July. A real set-and-forget winter crop.
Come in and ask. We know what's in season, what's holding up in the current weather and what to hold off on. Growing food in Swan Hill has its quirks, and we're happy to share what we know.