Autumn vegetables in Australia
March to May. 22 vegetables are harvested somewhere in Australia across those three months, and 13 reach their peak.
Autumn is pumpkin season. Growers harvest them from March, and because pumpkins cure and store, an autumn pumpkin bought at a market will still be good in winter.
The summer crops do not stop on 1 March either. Southern tomatoes, eggplant and sweet corn carry on into April, while Brussels sprouts, parsnips and cabbage start coming in as the nights cool. Sweet potatoes from Queensland's Bundaberg district are at their best.
The changeover months
March and April are when a market stall carries both seasons at once, the last tomatoes next to the first leeks. It is one of the most varied times of year to shop for vegetables.
Autumn vegetables list
★ Pumpkin- Queensland: April to August
- New South Wales: March to August
- Western Australia: March to July
Cures and stores for months after picking, so an autumn pumpkin is still good in winter. Market growers will usually tell you which variety keeps longest.
★ Chilli- Queensland: December to May
- Western Australia: January to April
Queensland grows most of Australia's chillies, with the season running through the warm months.
★ Salad leaves- Victoria: November to June
- Queensland: November to May
- Tasmania: December to May
Baby spinach, rocket and mixed leaves are grown under cover and in the field in Victoria and Queensland, with the heaviest supply in summer.
★ Eggplant- Queensland: December to July
- South Australia: January to April
- New South Wales: December to September
A warm season crop from Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales, at its best from late summer into autumn.
★ Tomato- Victoria: December to April
- South Australia: November to April
- New South Wales: December to April
Bowen and Bundaberg supply the country's winter tomatoes and glasshouses fill the rest of the year. A field tomato in Victoria or South Australia is a late summer crop.
★ Sweet potato- Queensland: November to September
- New South Wales: February to May
- Western Australia: January to April
Queensland's Bundaberg district grows nearly nine in ten Australian sweet potatoes. They cure and store, so local supply runs most of the year.
★ Brussels sprouts- South Australia: February to September
- Victoria: April to August
South Australia's Adelaide Hills grow more Brussels sprouts than anywhere else in the country, and the season is autumn and winter, sweetest after a frost.
★ Potato- Tasmania: All year
- South Australia: All year
- Victoria: All year
Australia's biggest vegetable crop. Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria grow most of it, and staggered plantings plus storage keep local potatoes in supply all year.
★ Carrot- Western Australia: January to September
- Victoria: January to October
- Tasmania: March to November
Western Australia grows the largest share of Australian carrots, and staggered plantings across the states keep them in supply all year.
★ Parsnip- Victoria: March to November
- Western Australia: March to October
- Queensland: April to September
A cool season root grown mostly in Victoria and Western Australia, at its sweetest in winter.
★ Cabbage- Queensland: April to October
- Victoria: March to November
- New South Wales: February to October
Grown in almost every state and planted in batches, so there is local cabbage for most of the year. Winter heads are the densest.
★ Zucchini- Queensland: March to December
- New South Wales: April to November
- Western Australia: April to September
Queensland grows zucchini through the southern winter and the southern states take over in summer.
★ Green beans- Queensland: February to November
- Western Australia: April to September
Queensland supplies beans through the southern winter, and Tasmania and Victoria take over in the warmer months.
Beetroot- Queensland: January to September
- Victoria: April to July
Queensland's Lockyer Valley grows most of the country's beetroot, with the best of it through winter.
Onion- Queensland: February to April
- New South Wales: November to April
South Australia and Tasmania grow most of Australia's onions. They cure and store well, so local onions are sold year round long after harvest.
Leek- Victoria: March to December
- Queensland: April to October
- New South Wales: April to September
A cool season crop grown mostly in Victoria, available from autumn through spring.
Spinach and silverbeet- Victoria: All year
- Queensland: All year
- New South Wales: All year
English spinach, silverbeet and kale grow year round in Victoria and Queensland. They are at their best in the cooler months.
Sweet corn- Queensland: September to May
- New South Wales: October to May
- Victoria: November to April
Queensland grows most Australian sweet corn, and it is a summer crop in every state. Buy it as close to picking as you can, because the sugar turns to starch within days.
Broccoli- Victoria: April to January
- New South Wales: March to December
A cool season crop. Queensland supplies it through winter and Victoria and Tasmania through spring and summer.
Lettuce- Victoria: August to May
- Queensland: September to April
Victoria grows lettuce in the warmer months and Queensland's Lockyer Valley takes over for winter, so it never really leaves.
Asian greens- New South Wales: August to May
Bok choy, choy sum, gai lan and wombok are grown in overlapping plantings around Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, so there is some in every month. Cooler months give the best leaves.
Celery- Victoria: September to April
Victoria grows well over half of the country's celery, with the main season running from late spring through summer.
★ At its peak in at least one state this season.
Month by month
March
April
What each state picks in autumn
A farmers market only sells what is grown within a drive of it, so the autumn list in Hobart and the one in Brisbane have less in common than you would expect.
- Victoria (16): pumpkin, salad leaves, eggplant, tomato, brussels sprouts, potato, carrot, parsnip and more
- New South Wales (16): pumpkin, salad leaves, eggplant, tomato, sweet potato, potato, carrot, parsnip and more
- Queensland (17): pumpkin, chilli, salad leaves, eggplant, sweet potato, potato, carrot, parsnip and more
- Western Australia (12): pumpkin, chilli, salad leaves, eggplant, tomato, sweet potato, potato, carrot and more
- South Australia (7): pumpkin, salad leaves, eggplant, tomato, brussels sprouts, potato, parsnip
- Tasmania (4): pumpkin, salad leaves, potato, carrot
Where to buy autumn vegetables
A farmers market is where autumn produce turns up within a day or two of picking. Every market listing carries its real trading days.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What vegetables are in season in autumn in Australia?
- Autumn runs from March to May, and 22 vegetables are harvested somewhere in Australia over those months, including pumpkins, chillies, salad leaves, eggplants, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and potatoes. What you will find at a market depends on your state.
- Which vegetables are at their best in autumn?
- Pumpkins, chillies, salad leaves, eggplants, tomatoes and sweet potatoes reach their peak in at least one growing state during autumn.
- Do autumn vegetables differ between states?
- Yes, often by months. Tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, Asian greens and celery come mostly from further south. Your state's in season page lists what is being picked closest to you.
- When does autumn start in Australia?
- Australia uses meteorological seasons, so autumn starts on 1 March and runs to the end of May.
Harvest months from our own research across Australian growing regions and national production figures.