Getting started
Sowing and space
Direct-sow into warm soil or transplant carefully after cold risk.
The cycle is an editorial band linked to the method above. Cultivar, temperature, transplant age and the harvest stage can change it.
Allow about 40 cm of usable depth and roughly 80 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
Humidity increases mildew and fruit-rotting pressure.
Humid subtropical
Hot and arid
Provide enough water without keeping the crown wet.
Warm temperate
Cool temperate
Practical care
- Allow space for the mature leaf spread.
- Harvest small fruit regularly.
Points to check
- Leaves can hide damaged fruit and pests.
- Small pots dry rapidly and restrict this large plant.
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.