What is in season in October in Australia?

Asparagus is at its peak in Victoria and New South Wales, and peas in Victoria. Strawberries start in Victoria and South Australia. Queensland picks its first mangoes and has bananas, pineapples, papaya and blueberries at their peak.

When does strawberry season start in Victoria?

October. Victoria and South Australia both start then and pick through to April, with their peak from November to March. Queensland and Western Australia grow strawberries in winter and finish in November.

Is October a good month for fruit?

It is the thinnest month for fruit in the south. Citrus is ending and stone fruit has not started, so Victoria has oranges, strawberries and raspberries and little else. Cherries, apricots, peaches and nectarines all begin in November.

What vegetables are in season in October?

Asparagus, peas, Asian greens and leeks are at their peak in Victoria. Fresh herbs start in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Cucumber and sweet corn start in New South Wales.

What's in Season in October in Australia

October is the best month of the year for green vegetables and the worst for fruit. Asparagus and peas are at their peak in Victoria. The citrus is nearly finished, the stone fruit is a month away, and in between there are strawberries and not much else.

It is a short gap, and a useful one to know about.

Harvest months, when growers are picking.

Clay illustration of a farm-fresh produce stall with crates of fruit and vegetables

Peak asparagus

Asparagus is at its peak in both Victoria and New South Wales. It is the only month the two overlap at their best. Peas reach their peak in Victoria, and so do Asian greens and leeks.

Fresh herbs start in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

Strawberries begin in the south

Strawberries start in Victoria and South Australia, and raspberries in Victoria. Queensland and Western Australia are still picking their winter crop, which ends next month, so for a few weeks the two seasons overlap.

The southern season is the long one. Victoria picks strawberries from now until April, with the peak from November to March.

Queensland's first mangoes

Mangoes start in Queensland. The Northern Territory is at its peak and Western Australia is already picking, but Queensland is where the bulk of the summer crop comes from, and it will not reach its peak until December.

Queensland has honeydew melon, pineapple, papaya, bananas and blueberries at their peak. Its winter vegetables are leaving: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks and garlic all finish.

The end of winter crops

Oranges finish in Victoria, along with cauliflower and carrots. In New South Wales it is cabbage, cauliflower, beetroot, parsnips and avocados. Grapefruit ends in Queensland and South Australia.

South Australia has six crops in October, the fewest it has all year. You might be thinking that sounds bleak for a market. Fair, but look at what starts there in November: cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, tomatoes and garlic, nine crops in one month.

Eat it this week

October's best produce is all short-lived, which is a reason to shop little and often. Asparagus keeps about four days, stood upright in a jar of water in the fridge or with its ends wrapped in damp paper. Peas keep three to four days. Strawberries and raspberries keep one to two, in a vented container.

Fresh herbs last longer than most people get out of them. Rinse them, dry them well and store them in a container lined with paper towel, and they keep one to two weeks.

Leeks keep one to two weeks uncovered in the fridge. A mango ripens on the bench and then has up to a week refrigerated.

Storage times here are from the City of Darebin's food storage chart, a Victorian council guide.

November is the turn

Stone fruit begins. Cherries, apricots, peaches and nectarines all start in Victoria, with sweet corn and eggplant. That is where what's in season in November picks up, and the year starts again.

Find your own state: Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia or Tasmania. The season lookup shows any month, and September is the guide before this one.