Top tasks for spring vegies

As the weather warms and the soil comes to life, it’s time to get your garden ready for the growing season ahead. From preparing beds and feeding soil to sowing and planting, these seasonal jobs will set you up for a summer harvest full of fresh, homegrown goodness. This article looks at top tips for growing vegies this spring.

Warm temperate

By Karen Sutherland

• Sow seeds of both bush and climbing beans direct into the garden. Bush beans produce faster, while climbing beans take longer to bear but give an extended harvest.
• Plant leafy greens close to your kitchen: you can harvest leaf by leaf as they grow and then harvest whole plants as they mature.
• Fill garden beds with vegetables now. If your area has frost, hold off on warmth lovers, such as tomatoes and zucchinis, until frosts are not likely.

Cool temperate

By Natasha Morgan

• The sap is rising in my Daylesford garden. The first asparagus spears are pushing through. Harvested daily and eaten fresh, they barely need cooking. I am picking the last purple sprouting broccoli, the snow peas are climbing, and I’m filling the wicking beds with leafy greens.
• My tomatoes, potted on from punnets, are growing on a heat mat in the potting shed. That headstart matters in our short growing season. Nothing frost-tender is planted before Melbourne Cup Day in early November.

Tropical

By Arno King

• Many delicious vegetables grow on trees. Top choices include moringa (drumstick tree), aibika (island cabbage) and chaya (Mexican spinach: always boil leaves and discard the water before eating). You can also try Sesbania grandiflora (hummingbird tree) but check with your local council as some consider it a weed.
• The young, cooked leaves of some fruiting trees, like papaya, jackfruit and noni, can also be eaten and are excellent in curries and stews.

Subtropical

By Leonie Shanahan

• Start bitter melon from seed by scarifying, or soaking seed in a weak seaweed solution for 24 hours, before planting. Plant seed 15mm deep and 60cm apart in full sun next to a trellis.
• Plant water chestnuts – remember, plant on Father’s day, harvest on Mother’s day! Grow in a bathtub or watertight container: fill 20 per cent of the tub with sand, potting mix and compost, then insert corms and water enough to moisten the mix. Once shoots are 10–15cm high flood the tub to 10cm above the soil.
• To protect sensitive crops, cover with 30–40 per cent shadecloth. Instead of black or green shadecloth choose white as it will reflect light and heat rather than absorbing it.
• Ceylon or Malabar spinach (Basella alba) needs a trellis or fence to climb along. Can be pruned to keep compact if space is limited.

Arid/semi-arid

By Cass Hooke

• Direct sow cucurbits, corn and beans once the risk of frost has passed. I find these all prefer less disturbance and have a reliable germination rate in our climate.
• Feed your asparagus crop with an organic fertiliser and compost to produce lots of spears for harvest.
• Top dress garden beds with some compost, aged manures and mulch ready for planting summer vegetables.
• Let parsley, coriander and dill go to seed. Their flowers will provide the perfect home for ladybirds and their larvae which love to feast on aphids.

Get more growing tips in our Spring 2026 issue, available at your local newsagents, selected supermarkets and online.