El Niño in Melbourne: What to Plant This Spring
Updated September 2026
Melbourne, Geelong, the Mornington Peninsula, the Yarra Valley and central Victoria. A short spring, a long dry summer, and frost that still bites in September.
Melbourne gardeners live with the rule that tomatoes go in after Cup Day. In an El Niño spring the season runs hotter and drier, so the cool weeks that usually let you ease into summer get shorter. The upside is a long, warm growing season for heat-lovers. The catch is a spring that can throw a September frost and a 35C north wind in the same fortnight, and dams that drop through summer.
What to plant in Melbourne & Victoria this spring
Plant with confidence
- Tomatoes, with protection. Plant from mid-October under cloches or against a north wall; skip the Cup Day wait if your frost risk has passed.
- Beans. Sow direct once soil is above 16C, usually late October.
- Zucchini and pumpkin. Sow in late October; both love a warm dry summer if the roots stay moist.
- Chilli and capsicum. Plant out in November. Long warm autumns suit them.
- Silverbeet, spring onions, kale (young). Leafy greens that cope with Melbourne heat.
- Potatoes. In now. Hill them up and mulch; they finish before the worst heat.
- Rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, lavender. Mediterranean plants that want a dry spring.
- Strawberries. Mulch well and shade in heatwaves; they crop through spring.
Hold back or plant small
- Lettuce, coriander, rocket. Quick to bolt once north winds arrive. Grow in part shade, sow little and often.
- Broccoli, cauliflower. Spring sowings button in early heat. Wait for a February sowing.
- Celery and English spinach. Marginal in a dry spring.
- Sweet corn. Only if you can soak a block every few days through January.
- Cucumber. Wicking bed or skip.
- Bare-rooted fruit trees. Winter is done; wait for next winter rather than planting into a dry summer.
The full month-by-month list for your area is on the Melbourne & Victoria planting calendar, and the app's Plant Now shelf filters it to this month automatically.
Timing this year
Frost is the first question. Bayside suburbs are mostly clear by early October; the outer east, north and the hills can see frost into November. Check your postcode in the frost and heat lookup before committing tomatoes and beans. When your date passes, go straight away rather than waiting; you want roots down before the first 35C north wind. Hold salad and brassicas for late summer. Melbourne's second season is autumn, and in an El Niño year it is likely to be the better one for cool crops.
Water: the local picture
Melbourne's storages are large and start the season in reasonable shape, so restrictions are less likely than in Sydney, but a dry spring and a hot summer draw them down fast and water is still charged by the litre. Melbourne's clay soils crack and shed water once they dry out, so the priority is keeping them covered: 75mm of mulch, compost dug in before planting, and drip line under the mulch. Water slowly so it soaks in rather than running off. A wicking bed for the thirsty crops, a tank for the rest. Have your priority list written down: fruit trees and established perennials first.
Heat and fire
Melbourne heat comes on a north wind, hits 38C or more for two or three days, then breaks with a cool change. Water deeply the evening before, throw shade cloth over tomatoes and strawberries, move pots to the south side, and do not feed until it passes. For fire, the Dandenongs, the Yarra Valley, the Macedon Ranges, the Mornington Peninsula and the Surf Coast are all high-risk in an El Niño year, and the CFA Fire Danger Period is likely to start earlier than usual. Clear litter, clean gutters and write your plan in October.
Your prep checklist
- Mulch every bed to 75mm before the first hot week.
- Lay drip or soaker line under the mulch, on a tap timer.
- Get heat-lovers in as soon as frost risk passes. Hold salad and brassicas for autumn.
- Buy shade cloth (30 to 50 percent) now.
- Check the rain tank, pump and gutters. Clear litter near the house.
- Set up shade and a second water source for chickens and bees.
Print the free El Niño garden prep checklist for the shed door.
See what to plant now in Melbourne & Victoria
The free Planting Season app shows this month's crops for your region, litres per week for every plant, and frost and heat dates by postcode. Pro adds tank tracking and a weather-aware watering planner. Try Pro free for 14 days, no card needed.
Open the App →Frequently Asked Questions
Should I still wait until Cup Day to plant tomatoes in Melbourne?
Only if your frost risk has not passed. In an El Niño spring the season warms early, so once your postcode is clear of frost, plant. Use cloches or a north-facing wall if you go early.
Will Melbourne have water restrictions this summer?
Less likely than Sydney because storages are large, but a dry spring draws them down. Set up mulch, drip irrigation and a tank now so you are not caught out if rules change.
What grows well in a hot dry Melbourne summer?
Tomatoes, beans, zucchini, pumpkin, chilli, capsicum, potatoes, silverbeet and Mediterranean herbs. All want deep mulch and a twice-weekly soak.
When does the Victorian fire season start?
The CFA declares Fire Danger Periods by district, usually from November, and earlier in dry years. Prepare in October.