Dayboro 12-Month Crop Planner
Plan your Dayboro garden year-round with our 12-month crop planner — local climate data, not generic advice
The free tier shows you what to plant right now, a colour-coded 12-month calendar, and seasonal summaries. Members get the full interactive planner: select crops and see Gantt-style timelines, crop rotation advisories with family conflict warnings, succession planting schedules, monthly task calendars, and bed allocation plans. All based on Dayboro-specific growing conditions.
Planning Your Dayboro Garden Year-Round
The Dayboro valley has a genuine subtropical climate with a twist: winter cold air drainage means our overnight minimums can drop well below what Brisbane gardeners experience. That creates a clear divide between warm-season crops (September to March) and cool-season crops (March to September), with a frost-risk window from May to September that rules out tender plants unless you've got protection.
The practical upside is that we can grow something productive every single month of the year. While suburban Brisbane gardeners struggle with summer heat but enjoy mild winters, we get the same summer growing conditions plus a proper cool season that brassicas, root vegetables, and leafy greens absolutely love. Garlic planted in March produces fat, flavourful bulbs that supermarket garlic can't touch.
Crop Rotation for Subtropical Gardens
Crop rotation isn't just for broadacre farms. Even in a backyard with four raised beds, rotating plant families through different beds each season prevents soil-borne disease buildup, manages soil nutrients, and breaks pest cycles. The principle is simple: don't plant the same family in the same spot two seasons in a row.
The seven main families in a Dayboro vegetable garden, and why rotation matters:
Solanaceae (Nightshades): Tomato, Potato, Capsicum, Eggplant
Heavy feeders that are susceptible to soil-borne diseases like bacterial wilt and fusarium. Follow nightshades with legumes to replenish nitrogen. Never plant tomatoes where potatoes grew last season (or vice versa) — they share the same pathogens.
Brassicaceae (Brassicas): Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Radish
Prone to clubroot, which persists in soil for years. Rotate away from brassicas for at least two seasons. Follow with legumes or alliums. In Dayboro's humid summer, brassica diseases can build up fast if you don't rotate.
Cucurbitaceae (Cucurbits): Cucumber, Zucchini, Pumpkin
Susceptible to powdery mildew and downy mildew, both of which love our humid conditions. Don't follow cucurbits with cucurbits. They're heavy feeders that benefit from following legumes.
Fabaceae (Legumes): Beans, Peas
The nitrogen fixers. Legumes take atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into plant-available form in the soil via root nodules. Plant legumes before heavy feeders (nightshades, cucurbits, brassicas) to naturally boost soil fertility. They're the cornerstone of any rotation plan.
Apiaceae (Umbellifers): Carrot, Parsley, Celery, Coriander
Moderate feeders. Susceptible to root-knot nematodes in our warm soils. Follow with a brassica crop, as brassica root exudates have natural biofumigant properties that suppress nematode populations.
Amaryllidaceae (Alliums): Onion, Garlic
Natural pest deterrents. Allium root compounds discourage many soil pests, making them excellent to plant before or alongside susceptible crops. Follow nightshades with alliums to clean up the soil.
Amaranthaceae (Amaranths): Spinach, Silverbeet, Beetroot
Moderate feeders. Generally trouble-free in rotation. Good gap fillers between heavy feeders and can be succession-planted for continuous harvests.
Warm Season vs Cool Season Planting in the D'Aguilar Range
| Crop | Season | Planting Months | Days to Harvest | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Warm | Sep–Feb | ~75 | Solanaceae |
| Lettuce | Cool | Mar–Sep | ~52 | Asteraceae |
| Carrot | Cool | Feb–Sep | ~75 | Apiaceae |
| Broccoli | Cool | Feb–Aug | ~85 | Brassicaceae |
| Beans | Warm | Sep–Apr | ~60 | Fabaceae |
| Potato | Cool | Feb–Apr, Jul–Sep | ~105 | Solanaceae |
| Cucumber | Warm | Sep–Feb | ~60 | Cucurbitaceae |
| Spinach | Cool | Mar–Sep | ~45 | Amaranthaceae |
| Capsicum | Warm | Sep–Jan | ~75 | Solanaceae |
| Zucchini | Warm | Sep–Mar | ~52 | Cucurbitaceae |
| Basil | Warm | Sep–Mar | ~37 | Lamiaceae |
| Parsley | All year | Jan–Dec | ~80 | Apiaceae |
| Kale | Cool | Feb–Sep | ~65 | Brassicaceae |
| Cabbage | Cool | Feb–Aug | ~85 | Brassicaceae |
| Pumpkin | Warm | Sep–Feb | ~102 | Cucurbitaceae |
| Corn | Warm | Sep–Feb | ~75 | Poaceae |
| Onion | Cool | Mar–Jul | ~120 | Amaryllidaceae |
| Garlic | Cool | Mar–May | ~180 | Amaryllidaceae |
| Peas | Cool | Mar–Aug | ~62 | Fabaceae |
| Radish | Cool | Feb–Oct | ~30 | Brassicaceae |
| Silverbeet | All year | Jan–Dec | ~57 | Amaranthaceae |
| Beetroot | Cool | Feb–Oct | ~62 | Amaranthaceae |
| Eggplant | Warm | Sep–Jan | ~75 | Solanaceae |
| Sweet Potato | Warm | Sep–Feb | ~120 | Convolvulaceae |
| Strawberry | Cool | Mar–Jun | ~75 | Rosaceae |
| Celery | Cool | Feb–Aug | ~100 | Apiaceae |
| Coriander | Cool | Mar–Sep | ~37 | Apiaceae |
Monthly Planting Guide for Dayboro
| Month | Plant | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| January | Capsicum, Basil, Beans, Parsley, Silverbeet | Peak summer heat. Water deeply. Mulch everything. |
| February | Tomato (last chance), Carrot, Kale, Radish, Beetroot, Celery | Transition month. Start cool-season seedlings in trays. |
| March | Lettuce, Spinach, Broccoli, Peas, Garlic, Onion, Strawberry | Cool season begins. Get brassicas in early. |
| April | Lettuce, Spinach, Broccoli, Cabbage, Peas, Garlic, Onion | Ideal planting weather. Soil still warm, air cooling. |
| May | Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Cabbage, Peas, Garlic, Coriander | Frost risk begins late May. Protect tender seedlings. |
| June | Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Peas, Coriander, Strawberry | Short days, slow growth. Frost cloth on cold nights. |
| July | Potato, Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Onion, Peas | Peak cold. Great for potatoes and leafy greens. |
| August | Potato, Carrot, Broccoli, Kale, Radish, Coriander | Spring approaching. Start warm-season seedlings indoors. |
| September | Tomato, Beans, Cucumber, Capsicum, Zucchini, Corn, Pumpkin | Warm season starts. Wait for last frost risk to pass. |
| October | Tomato, Beans, Cucumber, Capsicum, Zucchini, Eggplant, Basil | Prime planting month. Everything grows fast. |
| November | Tomato, Beans, Cucumber, Zucchini, Corn, Sweet Potato | Heat increasing. Water consistently. |
| December | Tomato, Beans, Cucumber, Zucchini, Basil, Sweet Potato | Summer heat. Shade cloth for sensitive crops. |