So, you’re ready to start on your veggie gardening journey in the Top End, but where do you start? Deciding what the best veggies to grow with so many options to choose from, can feel overwhelming. Fear not! We are here to help you navigate the exciting world of veggie gardening together, offering tips and advice to help you make informed decisions about what to grow in your garden. 

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a newbie with a green thumb itching to get started, we will share our valuable insights to help you create a thriving and bountiful veggie garden tailored to your tastes and needs. Let’s dig in and discover the delights of growing your own fresh, delicious produce right at home!

What Month Should I Plant My Vegetable Garden?

This is a good question! And the answer is simple in a complicated way haha. It really depends on where you live and what’s going on with the weather each year. 

Up here in the Top End, we grow spring/summer vegetables over the Australian winter as it’s our coolest time of year. The tropical climate doesn’t get cool enough for us here to grow winter veg, but it does allow us to grow spring/summer veg in abundance. So for us, we start getting our seedlings like tomatoes ready in February. Some people might think this is too early, but we keep our seedlings protected in a shade house from the heat and extreme rain. This allows us to get our plants into the ground as soon as the cooler dry season weather arrives.

For cooler southern climates, the winter months ahead mean you get to have an amazing winter garden. Think cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, and more! I’m a little jealous in a good way! 

When planning your vegetable garden, it’s important to consider your local climate and weather conditions. Whether you’re in a hot tropical region or a cooler southern climate or somewhere in-between. Understanding your climate’s patterns helps determine the best time to plant and the types of vegetables that will thrive. We wait to plant out seedlings until the weather suits what the plants need.

In hot climates like ours, it’s essential to select heat-tolerant varieties and plant during cooler periods to avoid stress on the plants. Conversely, in colder climates, it’s about timing your planting to take advantage of the milder weather and selecting cold-hardy vegetables that can withstand frost. By adapting your gardening practices to suit your climate, you can maximize your garden’s productivity and success.

Choosing the Best Veggies to Grow

There are so many vegetables and fruits to choose from to grow. You’ll need to narrow it down to what you can grow in your local area. Joining a local gardening group on Facebook or joining the local community garden are a great way to gain knowledge on your local area. Find a friend who loves gardening, and they will be more than happy to share their acquired knowledge with you, as well as seeds, cuttings, and more! Watch Gardening Australia each week. They give great growing tips and planting advice for all over Australia. I love that they include the tropics as sometimes we get forgotten up around Darwin!

Here’s our tips on how to choose the best vegetables to grow:

Grow What You Eat

If this is your first veggie garden, you’ll likely be over excited and want to grow everything! But calm the farm and choose a few vegetables or fruits to concentrate on each season. The garden can quickly become too much to handle if you start out too big (this is coming from experience haha). Remember to grow what you actually eat! No point having an amazing garden full of foods you don’t like to eat or don’t know how to cook.

We are narrowing it down this year. For example, this dry season, we are choosing to focus our garden around two types of tomatoes, cucumbers, and winter onions (like spring onions). I have a busy dry season ahead, so I plan to grow what we actually eat. I will add some snake beans in as well, as they just care for themselves once established.

Grow All You Can Eat

Once you’ve figured out how to grow what you eat, it’s time to consider how many plants you need to cover all that you can eat. Don’t worry if you grow too much, as you’ll be able to make it into pickles, sauces, or freeze them. Plus, you’ll have the bonus of sharing your bounty with friends and family. Growing food isn’t just about feeding you and your family; it’s about creating a food community to share produce and knowledge. You want to grow more than you think, as seedlings may die or just not go so well.

I like to sow seeds in batches a few weeks apart. This allows for any mishaps but also has your garden producing longer through the season. Gardening is the best way to slow down and reconnect with the natural world. Get your hands in the soil and your mind off everyday life.

Growing What Suits Your Climate

Again, make sure you are growing the right fruits and vegetables for your area. If I plant an apple tree here in Dundee, it is not going to love it. It’s a cold climate tree that will melt in the humidity. So I focus on tropical fruits and vegetables from Asia. A trip to your local farmers’ market will show you what grows in your area. Ask the stallholders questions; they love to share knowledge and will give you tips on growing but also using your produce. For the Top End, we can grow an amazing variety of Asian vegetables like Bok Choy, Jicama, snake beans, and more.

What About Growing Fruit Trees?

Okay, we’ve talked about veggies, but what about fruit trees? In the Top End, we can grow amazing tropical fruits like bananas, papaya, soursop, custard apples, just to name a few. Consider incorporating fruit trees into your garden, whether it’s directly into your garden or in large pots in case you move (yep, we have planted amazing gardens in the past only to move and leave them behind). My tip is to get a lemon tree and a lime tree and plant them in large pots; not only do they look great, but you can take them with you.

Fruit trees not only look great but also provide shade for your garden. I love growing bananas and papayas as they are fast-growing, spread all over our gardens, and produce the best fruit! They look great and shade the veggies below. They are hungry though, so be prepared to feed them. Selecting fruit trees for your garden comes down to what you like to eat, how much space you have, and what you like the look of.

You are Ready To Grow Your Perfect Veggie Garden

As you get into veggie gardening keep note of what grows best for you and when. You’ll begin to be able to read the seasons and have great gardening success!

Remember:

• Timing Matters: Plant according to your local climate for optimal growth.
• Choose Wisely: Select veggies and fruits suited to your region and tastes.
• Grow What You Eat: Start small, expand gradually, and share your bounty. Preserve excess produce and join in the gardening community.
• Consider Your Climate: Choose fruits and veggies adapted to your climate.
•  Incorporate Fruit Trees: Plant versatile fruit trees like lemons and limes in pots.

Happy gardening friends! I am excited to see your gardening boom! Please tag us on insta or facebook so we can share in your gardening journey!