Getting started
Sowing and space
Sow into warm mix or plant healthy seedlings; pinch the growing tips once established.
The cycle is an editorial band linked to the method above. Cultivar, temperature, transplant age and the harvest stage can change it.
Allow about 20 cm of usable depth and roughly 22 cm between plants. A suitably sized container can work when the full root volume and mature canopy are allowed.
Water demand is moderate and regular. That is not a fixed timetable: heat, wind, rain, container size and growth stage change the interval.
Planting windows by broad profile
The highlighted months are conservative editorial references, not a current forecast or postcode calendar. Confirm the cultivar, packet, current warning and local advice.
Tropical wet–dry
Increase airflow and drainage as humidity and wet-season rain build.
Humid subtropical
Hot and arid
Give afternoon protection while seedlings establish and monitor pots closely.
Warm temperate
Cool temperate
Keep outdoors only after local frost risk has passed.
Practical care
- Harvest above a leaf pair to encourage branching.
- Use a free-draining pot with room for repeated watering.
Points to check
- Cold snaps can stop growth.
- Constantly wet foliage and crowded stems increase disease risk.
Provenance and confidence
This rule is editorial guidance without claimed independent agronomic review. Confidence describes evidence coverage, not the chance of a harvest.
Australian home food garden editorial synthesis — version 1
Original synthesis for broad Australian profiles. It remains editorial draft until independent agronomic review is recorded.