Spring vegetables in Australia
September to November, which is now. 23 vegetables are harvested somewhere in Australia across those three months, and 12 reach their peak.
Asparagus is the clearest sign that spring has arrived. Victoria grows nearly all of the country's crop, and it is picked from September to December, with the best of it before November.
Peas come next. Snow peas and sugar snaps peak in November, and fresh herbs, lettuce and Asian greens pick up quickly as the days warm. Cauliflower and broccoli carry over from winter into early spring, while Queensland is already sending sweet corn, zucchini and the first new season garlic.
Buy asparagus the day it is picked
Asparagus loses sweetness quickly once it is cut. A spring market bunch picked that morning is the one to get.
Spring vegetables list
★ Asparagus- Victoria: September to December
- New South Wales: September to November
One of the shortest and most clearly seasonal vegetables in the country, and close to the only reliable sign that spring has arrived at a market. Victoria grows nearly all of it.
★ Peas- Victoria: September to December
- Queensland: July to November
Tasmania grows most of Australia's peas, though mostly for freezing. Fresh snow peas and sugar snaps are a spring crop.
★ Asian greens- New South Wales: August to May
- Queensland: September to March
- Victoria: August to December
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.
★ Fresh herbs- Queensland: October to January
- Victoria: October to February
- New South Wales: September to March
Soft herbs such as basil and coriander peak in late spring and summer. Parsley, chives and mint run for much of the year.
★ Cauliflower- Victoria: May to October
- Queensland: July to October
- New South Wales: May to October
A winter vegetable. Victoria grows the most, and the heads are firmest and whitest in the cold months.
★ Lettuce- Victoria: August to May
- Queensland: September to April
- Western Australia: September to February
Victoria grows lettuce in the warmer months and Queensland's Lockyer Valley takes over for winter, so it never really leaves.
★ Celery- Victoria: September to April
- Queensland: September to March
- Western Australia: October to February
Victoria grows well over half of the country's celery, with the main season running from late spring through summer.
★ Broccoli- Victoria: April to January
- Queensland: May to October
- Western Australia: August to February
A cool season crop. Queensland supplies it through winter and Victoria and Tasmania through spring and summer.
★ 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.
★ Leek- Victoria: March to December
- Western Australia: May to October
- Queensland: April to October
A cool season crop grown mostly in Victoria, available from autumn through spring.
★ Carrot- 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.
★ Zucchini- Queensland: March to December
- New South Wales: April to November
Queensland grows zucchini through the southern winter and the southern states take over in summer.
Brussels sprouts- Western Australia: October to November
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.
Garlic- Queensland: September to October
Most garlic sold in Australia is imported. Local garlic is harvested from September in Queensland through to January in Tasmania, then cured, so new season Australian garlic is in shops from about November.
Cucumber- New South Wales: October to December
Grown in South Australian and Queensland glasshouses year round, so local cucumbers are always around. Field cucumbers are a summer crop.
Tomato- Queensland: May to November
- Northern Territory: May to October
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.
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.
Parsnip- Victoria: March to November
- Western Australia: March to October
- New South Wales: April to October
A cool season root grown mostly in Victoria and Western Australia, at its sweetest in winter.
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
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.
Beetroot- New South Wales: May to October
Queensland's Lockyer Valley grows most of the country's beetroot, with the best of it through winter.
Green beans- Queensland: February to November
Queensland supplies beans through the southern winter, and Tasmania and Victoria take over in the warmer months.
Sweet potato- Queensland: November to September
Queensland's Bundaberg district grows nearly nine in ten Australian sweet potatoes. They cure and store, so local supply runs most of the year.
★ At its peak in at least one state this season.
Month by month
September
October (this month)
What each state picks in spring
A farmers market only sells what is grown within a drive of it, so the spring list in Hobart and the one in Brisbane have less in common than you would expect.
- Victoria (14): asparagus, peas, asian greens, fresh herbs, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, broccoli and more
- New South Wales (14): asparagus, asian greens, fresh herbs, cauliflower, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, zucchini and more
- Queensland (17): peas, asian greens, fresh herbs, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, broccoli, cabbage and more
- Western Australia (11): asian greens, fresh herbs, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, broccoli, cabbage, leek and more
- South Australia (3): cauliflower, lettuce, potato
- Tasmania (5): cauliflower, broccoli, leek, carrot, potato
- Northern Territory (2): asian greens, tomato
Where to buy spring vegetables
A farmers market is where spring 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 spring in Australia?
- Spring runs from September to November, and 23 vegetables are harvested somewhere in Australia over those months, including asparagus, peas, Asian greens, fresh herbs, cauliflowers, lettuce, celery and broccoli. What you will find at a market depends on your state.
- Which vegetables are at their best in spring?
- Asparagus, peas, Asian greens, fresh herbs, cauliflowers and lettuce reach their peak in at least one growing state during spring.
- Do spring vegetables differ between states?
- Yes, often by months. In spring, garlic, tomatoes, green beans and sweet potatoes come mostly from Queensland and the Northern Territory. Asparagus, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers and parsnips come mostly from further south. Your state's in season page lists what is being picked closest to you.
- When does spring start in Australia?
- Australia uses meteorological seasons, so spring starts on 1 September and runs to the end of November.
Harvest months from our own research across Australian growing regions and national production figures.