Getting started
Sowing and space
Raise seedlings or transplant locally suitable plants before the main cool period.
The cycle is an editorial band linked to the method above. Cultivar, temperature, transplant age and the harvest stage can change it.
Allow about 35 cm of usable depth and roughly 50 cm between plants. A suitably sized container can work when the full root volume and mature canopy are allowed.
Water demand is frequent and even. 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
The reliable window is short; heat and humidity can prevent firm heads.
Humid subtropical
Hot and arid
Warm temperate
Cool temperate
Variety and transplant timing determine whether heads form before severe cold or heat.
Practical care
- Give one plant a substantial container.
- Check leaf undersides and centres frequently.
Points to check
- Heat can trigger loose or premature heads.
- Do not treat a pesticide name as advice; follow an APVMA-approved label if control is needed.
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.
Home garden and domestic pest-control products — Agricultural Labelling Code
Supports the instruction to use only registered home-garden products exactly as labelled; the project does not prescribe chemicals.