Growing Vegetables/herbs in Townsville! What do I plant and when?

Written By:

Mark Woodman

A guide to planting veggies/herbs in Townsville

Nothing is more satisfying (and yummy!) than harvesting fresh vegetables and herbs you have grown yourself in your garden or Vegepod. However, knowing what vegetables to plant and when can be a difficult topic to navigate – especially when many guides and blogs are not written for our climate in Townsville, North Queensland! Due to this, you won’t see us stocking our veggies during December-March. It’s just too hot and we hate seeing the product go to waste.

The following is just a guide (it is not exhaustive) to maximise success. Some people may have different success depending on their green thumb or the micro climate at the specific property.

So, what to do, and when…….

In January, February and March – Prep the soil. It’s hot, humid and sometimes wet. The weeds grow like crazy. Clean up the growing area from last year and heavily mulch it to stop the weeds coming up and to start the decomposition process. It’s a good time to place organic matter such as compost and manures in to ensure you have healthy, nutrient dense soil to give those seedlings a boost when it starts to cool down. Ensure your irrigation is working also.

In April, you can start planting…..YAY! Begin the season with Basil, Beans, Onions, Beetroot, Broccoli, Carrots, Fennel, Mint, Parsley, Tomatoes, Garlic and Radishes. Blood and Bone or Troforte Fertiliser is best used when planting.

In May, it’s hopefully cooling down and you can start planting more – Shallots, Silverbeet,  Zucchini, Capsicum, Cauliflower, Chillis, Eggplant, Cucumber, Leeks, Oregano, Rosemary, Onion, Parsley, Tomato and Potato.

June and July is a great time to plant almost any herb and vegetable up here in Townsville: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Chives, Coriander, Fennel, Lettuce, Spinach, Potato, Pumpkin, Radish, Capsicums, Chillis, Cucumbers, Parsley, Sweet corn, Sweet potato, Spinach, Lettuce, Radish, Zucchini, Tomatoes, Peas, parnsip, Carrot etc etc

From August to November, it’s a great time plant – Basil, Chinese cabbage, Cucumber, Oregano, Spring onions, Sunflower, Sweet corn, Sweet potato, Ginger and Rosella.

In December, it’s probably time to stop playing in your Veggie patch and concentrate on the rest of your garden!

Don’t forget that bugs and pests love the veggies just as much as you do. You need to keep an eye out for them. Some common pests and treatments will be the subject of another post. Stay tuned.