How it works

An explained comparison, not a promise of harvest

The planner compares your answers with structured editorial rules. Its score orders options; it does not predict germination, yield or success.

Editorial base: the 24 crops and five profiles are original guidance; no independent Australian agronomic review is claimed.

1. The context you provide

You choose a month, broad climate profile, growing space, direct-sun band, usable root depth, possible watering routine and experience. The Australia package does not request a postcode, street address or coordinates.

The profile is a deliberate choice. It is not inferred from a boundary, because coast, elevation, urban heat, frost pockets and rain can vary within any broad region.

2. Five broad climate profiles

The package distinguishes tropical wet–dry, humid subtropical, hot arid, warm temperate with winter rain, and cool temperate or frost-prone conditions. The Bureau of Meteorology supports the broad climatic distinctions, while the crop windows are an original synthesis.

A profile describes historical conditions. It is not a live forecast, warning or local frost date. Check current official information before acting on weather risk.

3. The score

Each crop can receive up to 100 points:

Season
Up to 40 points when the month is inside, near or outside the profile’s editorial window.
Direct sun
Up to 20 points by comparison with the crop page reference.
Space
Up to 20 points for container compatibility and usable root depth.
Water routine
Up to 10 points for broad compatibility with how often you can check and water.
Experience
Up to 10 points for the crop’s expected management difficulty.

A score of 78 or more is a strong match; 55 to 77 is possible with attention; below 55 is a poor match for now. These are ordering bands, not probabilities.

Draft signals and reviewed constraints

Month, sun, depth and container compatibility are editorial signals. A conflict prevents a strong-match label but is not a universal prohibition. The result remains general guidance and must be checked against the real site and current conditions.

4. What accompanies the result

The result shows favourable reasons, cautions, reference conditions and a link to the crop page. Low-scoring crops remain visible when needed to explain why the current inputs are restrictive.

5. Local processing

The catalogue, profiles and scoring engine are static files. Once loaded, the comparison runs in the browser. The current package creates no account, stores no answers and calls no weather or location API.

Known limits

  • Cultivar, soil, microclimate, elevation, drainage and management can change the result.
  • First-harvest bands are references, not guaranteed dates.
  • The tool does not diagnose pests or disease and does not prescribe pesticides.
  • Water restrictions, biosecurity controls and current warnings must be checked locally.
  • Material editorial changes remain traceable through package version and commit.

Version and corrections

This Australia package was prepared on 2 August 2026. A material change to scoring, crop data, sources or page copy requires a fresh editorial publication decision.