Summer vegetables in Australia
December to February. 23 vegetables are harvested somewhere in Australia across those three months, and 12 reach their peak.
Summer vegetables are the ones that need heat: tomatoes, sweet corn, capsicum, cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini and beans. In Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania this is the only time they are grown in the field, and a January tomato from a market stall is a different thing from a glasshouse one bought in July.
Salad greens and soft herbs are at their heaviest too, and new season Australian garlic arrives from the southern states after its December and January harvest.
Sweet corn does not wait
Corn starts turning its sugar to starch the day it is picked. Summer is when you can buy it within a day or two of the paddock, and that is worth doing.
Summer vegetables list
★ Garlic- South Australia: November to January
- Victoria: December to January
- Tasmania: December to January
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.
★ Chilli- Queensland: December to May
- Western Australia: January to April
- Victoria: December to March
Queensland grows most of Australia's chillies, with the season running through the warm months.
★ 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.
★ Peas- Tasmania: November to March
Tasmania grows most of Australia's peas, though mostly for freezing. Fresh snow peas and sugar snaps are a spring crop.
★ 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.
★ 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.
★ 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.
★ 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.
★ 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.
★ 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.
★ Asian greens- New South Wales: August to May
- Queensland: September to March
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.
★ Sweet potato- Queensland: November to September
- 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.
Cucumber- South Australia: November to February
- Queensland: November to January
- Victoria: December to March
Grown in South Australian and Queensland glasshouses year round, so local cucumbers are always around. Field cucumbers are a summer crop.
Green beans- Tasmania: December to March
- Victoria: December to March
Queensland supplies beans through the southern winter, and Tasmania and Victoria take over in the warmer months.
Zucchini- Victoria: December to March
- South Australia: December to March
Queensland grows zucchini through the southern winter and the southern states take over in summer.
Capsicum- Queensland: January to March
- South Australia: December to March
- Victoria: December to March
Queensland field crops supply most of the year and South Australian glasshouses fill the gaps. Summer is when field capsicums are at their best.
Onion- South Australia: November to February
- Western Australia: January to February
- Victoria: January to March
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.
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.
Broccoli- Victoria: April to January
- Western Australia: August to February
A cool season crop. Queensland supplies it through winter and Victoria and Tasmania through spring and summer.
Cabbage- Western Australia: July to April
Grown in almost every state and planted in batches, so there is local cabbage for most of the year. Winter heads are the densest.
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
- Queensland: December to September
Western Australia grows the largest share of Australian carrots, and staggered plantings across the states keep them in supply all year.
Beetroot- Queensland: January to September
Queensland's Lockyer Valley grows most of the country's beetroot, with the best of it through winter.
★ At its peak in at least one state this season.
Month by month
December
January
What each state picks in summer
A farmers market only sells what is grown within a drive of it, so the summer list in Hobart and the one in Brisbane have less in common than you would expect.
- Victoria (18): garlic, chilli, fresh herbs, salad leaves, celery, tomato, eggplant, lettuce and more
- New South Wales (11): chilli, fresh herbs, salad leaves, tomato, eggplant, lettuce, sweet corn, asian greens and more
- Queensland (14): chilli, fresh herbs, salad leaves, celery, eggplant, lettuce, sweet corn, asian greens and more
- Western Australia (14): chilli, salad leaves, celery, tomato, eggplant, lettuce, sweet corn, sweet potato and more
- South Australia (11): garlic, salad leaves, tomato, eggplant, lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, capsicum and more
- Tasmania (8): garlic, fresh herbs, peas, salad leaves, celery, green beans, capsicum, potato
Where to buy summer vegetables
A farmers market is where summer 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 summer in Australia?
- Summer runs from December to February, and 23 vegetables are harvested somewhere in Australia over those months, including garlic, chillies, fresh herbs, peas, salad leaves, celery, tomatoes and eggplants. What you will find at a market depends on your state.
- Which vegetables are at their best in summer?
- Garlic, chillies, fresh herbs, peas, salad leaves and celery reach their peak in at least one growing state during summer.
- Do summer vegetables differ between states?
- Yes, often by months. In summer, beetroot come mostly from Queensland and the Northern Territory. Garlic, peas, tomatoes, green beans and zucchini come mostly from further south. Your state's in season page lists what is being picked closest to you.
- When does summer start in Australia?
- Australia uses meteorological seasons, so summer starts on 1 December and runs to the end of February.
Harvest months from our own research across Australian growing regions and national production figures.