Getting started
Sowing and space
Direct-sow into warm soil in a short block rather than one isolated row.
The cycle is an editorial band linked to the method above. Cultivar, temperature, transplant age and the harvest stage can change it.
Allow about 45 cm of usable depth and roughly 25 cm between plants. The crop normally suits a bed or open soil better than a typical domestic container.
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
Wind and wet-season storms can lodge tall plants.
Humid subtropical
Hot and arid
Extreme heat around flowering can reduce kernel set.
Warm temperate
Cool temperate
Choose a shorter-season cultivar for the available frost-free period.
Practical care
- Grow several plants together for better pollen movement.
- Support exposed blocks against wind where practical.
Points to check
- One plant in a pot is unlikely to pollinate well.
- Tall, wet plants can become unstable.
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.