Getting started
Sowing and space
Direct-sow or transplant, leaving enough airflow and mature leaf space.
The cycle is an editorial band linked to the method above. Cultivar, temperature, transplant age and the harvest stage can change it.
Allow about 30 cm of usable depth and roughly 45 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
Heat and humidity shorten the useful leaf-harvest period.
Humid subtropical
Hot and arid
Use the cool season and protect seedlings from hot wind.
Warm temperate
Cool temperate
Practical care
- Harvest lower leaves while retaining the growing centre.
- Inspect folded leaves and undersides for caterpillars.
Points to check
- Heat can toughen leaves and accelerate pests.
- Large mature plants need more root volume than baby-leaf crops.
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.