It may be winter, but your garden still needs you! ❄️🌿
Sure, the mornings are crisp and the sun feels like it’s hitting the snooze button—but don’t be fooled into thinking the garden goes to sleep entirely. There are still seeds you can plant and there’s plenty to do out there this month, and many of the tasks you tick off now will set you up beautifully for spring. An hour in the garden now can save you a whole weekend’s work later!
Even if your boots crunch over frosty grass in the morning, things usually warm up after sunrise. Those cool but clear days? They’re ideal for getting stuck into the sort of satisfying garden jobs that keep everything ticking along.
Let’s talk about a few winter to-dos to make the most of this quieter, but no less important, season.
👇 Jump to seed list. if you’re itching to sow.
💧 Watering: Be smart, not splashy
Winter watering needs a bit more intention. While the cooler temps mean plants aren’t as thirsty, they still need consistent moisture especially young seedlings, leafy greens, and anything growing in pots which tend to dry out faster.
Here’s the trick:
👉 Water in the morning, not in the evening. That way, plants have time to absorb what they need before the cold sets in at night.
👉 Water deeply, just once or twice a week. A longer soak encourages roots to grow deeper, making plants stronger and more resilient.
👉 Check soil moisture first. Stick your finger in or use a moisture meter—you might find the soil is already damp enough from recent rain. No need to double up if Mother Nature’s got it covered!
🌾 Mulching: Your winter blanket
If you haven’t topped up your mulch recently, now’s the time. Mulch does a brilliant job in winter—keeping roots cozy, suppressing sneaky winter weeds, and locking in that precious moisture we just talked about.
A few tips for effective mulching:
🌱 Apply it after watering so you trap the moisture underneath.
🌱 Aim for about 7cm deep which is thick enough to block light from weeds, but not so thick that it chokes your plants.
🌱 Keep mulch away from plant stems, especially delicate seedlings, to avoid rot and pest issues.
🌱 Choose a sustainable mulch that breaks down over time and improves your soil such as lucerne, pea straw, or sugarcane mulch. Bonus points if it’s locally sourced!
🌿 Weeding: Slow growth = great opportunity
Yes, even now, the weeds keep creeping in! The good news is that with most plant growth slowing down, weeds aren’t growing as fast either—so your efforts go further.
Winter is a sneaky but strategic time for weeding. With less competition and slower regrowth, you’ve got a golden window to get ahead of the game before spring hits and everything bursts back into action.
So pull on your gloves, get in there with a hoe or hand fork, and tidy up those beds. Your future self will thank you.
Winter may be gentle on pace, but it’s rich with potential. Tuck in those seedlings, clear the clutter, nourish your soil, and water wisely. Then, when the first signs of spring start to show, your garden will be raring to go.
Happy winter gardening 🌼
Let’s get your patch prepped and productive!
If you are not sure of your climate zone, check out the climate zone map.
Seed List
Arid
- Vegetable: Artichokes, Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Chicory, Collards, Endive, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Onion, Pak Choy, Parsnip, Peas, Radish, Rutabaga, Silverbeet, Strawberry, Peas, Spinach, Turnip
- Herbs: Catnip, Coriander, Dill, Lemon Balm, Mint, Sage, Summer Savory, Winter Savory
- Flower: Calendula, Snap Dragon Sweetpeas
Cool Mountain
- Vegetable: Broad Beans, Mustard Greens, Onion, Radish, Spinach, Spring onions
Temperate
- Vegetable: Broad Beans, Cabbage, Garlic, Kale, Lettuce, Mustard greens, Onion, Peas, Radish, Snow Peas, Strawberries
- Herb: Agrimonia, Bergamot, Borage, Catnip, Chamomile, Comfrey, Coriander, Echinacea, Heartsease, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Mugwort, Salad Burnet, Sorrel
- Flower: Alyssum, Carnation, Celosia, Cornflower, Cosmos, Dianthus, Everlastings, Gaillardia, Larkspur, Livingstone Daisy, Nasturtium, Native Iris, Nigella, Poppy, Queen Anne’s Lace, Rudbeckia, Shasta Daisy, Stock, Sweetpeas, Swan River Daisy, Wild Pansy, Yarrow
Sub-Tropical
- Vegetable: Beetroot, Broad Beans, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Collards, Endive, Garlic, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Onion, Parsnip, Peas, Radish, Rocket, Shallots, Silverbeet, Snow Peas, Strawberry
- Herb: Agrimonia, Bergamot, Borage, Catnip, Chamomile, Chives, Coriander, Echinacea, Heartsease, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Mint, Mugwort, Nettle, Salad Burnet, Sorrel, Wormwood
- Flower: Alyssum, Calendula, Carnation, Celosia, Cornflower, Cosmos, Dianthus, Everlastings, Gaillardia, Gysophilia, Honesty, Larkspur, Livingstone Daisy, Nasturtium, Native Iris, Marigold, Nigella, Poppy, Queen Anne’s Lace, Rudbeckia, Salvia, Shasta Daisy, Snap Dragon, Stock, Sweetpeas, Swan River Daisy, Wild Pansy
Tropical
- Vegetable: Amaranth, Angelica, Artichokes, Asparagus, Asparagus Pea, Beans, Beetroot, Borage, Broccoli, Burdock, Cabbage, Cape Gooseberry, Capsicum, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Chilli, Chinese Cabbage, Cress, Cucumber, Daikon, Eggplant, Endive,, Florence Fennel, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Luffa, Marrow, Mizuna, Mustard greens, Warrigal Greens, Okra, Onion, Pak Choy, Pumpkin, Radish, Rockmelon, Salsify, , Shallots, Silverbeet, Spring Onions, Squash, Strawberry, Sunflower, Sweet corn, Tomatillo, Tomato, Turnip, Watermelon, Zucchini
- Herb: Agrimonia, Angelica, Basil, Bergamot, Borage, Catnip, Chives, Comfrey, Coriander, Dill, Echinacea, Fennel, Feverfew, Heartsease, Hyssop, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, Marshmallow, Mint, Mugwort, Nettle, Oregano, Perilla, Sage, Salad Burnet, Sorrel, Summer Savory, Winter Savory, Tansy, Thyme, Valerian, Wormwood
- Flower: Ageratum, Alyssum, Amaranth, Aster, Calendula, Carnation, Celosia, Chrysanthemum, Cornflower, Cosmos, Dahlia, Dandelion, Dianthus, Gaillardia, Gysophilia, Honesty, Larkspur, Livingstone Daisy, Lovage, Nasturtium, Nettle, Nigella, Marigold, Parsley, Poppy, Queens Anne’s Lace, Rudbeckia, Salvia, Shasta Daisy, Snap Dragon, Stock, Sweetpeas, Swan River Daisy, Veronica, Wild Pansy, Wormwood, Yarrow, Zinnia