What to plant in Arid Climates during December
This Honey Dew Melon variety produces fruit with a thick, lime-green flesh. Fruit can grow up to 20cm round or 2.5kg in weight. The fruit rind is thin, smooth, and pale in appearance. Honey Dew Melon is a vining plant, so make sure to allow this variety plenty of room in your garden. Once harvested, Honey Dew Melon fruit can be stored for several months.
Cracker Marigolds are a hardy, compact bush-type flower that can grow to 90cm tall. The flowerheads are orange, yellow, and gold, and are often produced in double-blooms. Crackerjack Marigolds are a fast growing annual that flowers the same year as it is planted. Marigolds are great for boarders and companion planting. Marigolds are great for keep detrimental insects out of your garden.
Vera Lavender is an evergreen, hardy perennial that grows as a compact bush reaching 30 to 50cm in height. Vera Lavender flowers are violet-blue and aromatic. The lavender flower heads are generally cut and dried for their fragrance, used in cooking, or grown for its medicinal properties. Vera Lavender is also great for adding a pop of colour to your garden and attracting beneficial insects.
Golden Zucchini is easy and fast to grow, and will produce an abundance of fruit throughout the growing season! Golden Zucchini still boasts that bold zucchini flavour but with a vibrant yellow-gold skin. Golden Zucchini is best to harvest when the fruit grows to around 15cm and skin is still soft. Remember to keep picking your zucchini fruit throughout the growing season to stimulate further production.
Black Beauty Zucchini grows as a compact, upright plant that is high-yielding throughout the summer. Black Beauty Zucchini is fast and easy to grow. This variety of zucchini produces cylindrical deep-green fruit with a thin skin and white creamy flesh. Black Beauty Zucchini is best to harvest when the fruit grows to around 15cm and skin is still soft. Remember to continually pick your zucchini fruit throughout the growing season to stimulate further production.
Our Elegans Formula Zinnia seeds are a mixture of 17 different colours. Elegans Formula Zinnias are an easy to grow annual that produces double flowers in bold, bright colours. The stems of the plant are sturdy and can grow to 90cm high. Elegans Formula Zinnias are great to use for cut flowers, to add a pop of colour to your garden, or to attract beneficial insects! Elegans Formula Zinnias are perfect for growing in pots, containers, or grow bags.
Sugar Baby Watermelon is a summer vining variety that produces fruits up to 20cm in diameter or 5kg in weight! Sugar Baby Watermelon has a thin, deep-green skin and a sweet, vibrant-red flesh. The fruit of the Sugar Baby Watermelon plant is smaller than other watermelon varieties. This means that the fruit will ripen sooner, making it an early-maturing plant (compared to other watermelon varieties). This variety of watermelon also has minimal seeds. Harvest your watermelons when the stem starts to turn brown and die off. Sugar Baby Watermelons grow best when they are planted in a sunny spot.
Summer Thyme, also known as "Garden Thyme" and "Common Thyme", is an evergreen perennial herb that produces grey-green, narrow leaves with a distinct aroma and flavour. Summer Thyme can grow to around 30cm tall and tends to 'bush out'. As the stems age they become 'woody'. Woody thyme is perfectly fine to eat, but it is best to trim these stems away to stimulate new plant growth. The leaves are generally stripped away from the stem and used as flavouring. The leaves hold an earthy, slightly sweet, floral taste and are great for flavouring soups, stews, potatoes, and tomato-based dishes. Summer Thyme is great for growing in pots, grow bags, and containers.
Giant Single Sunflowers are a yellow-centred, yellow-petal flower that can grow up to 1.5 to 2 metres tall. Giant Single Sunflower plants produce one, large, golden, impressive flowerhead. These plants are hardy, drought-tolerant and fast growing. This variety of sunflower also boasts a strong rust resistance. Giant Single Sunflowers are great for attracting beneficial insects to your garden.
To maintain seed viability, please store your Early Rosella seeds in the fridge.
Early Rosella is a unique annual bush that produces deep-red fruits called calyces. Rosella fruits look like fleshy, unopened flowers. These fruits can be harvested to make jams, relishes, and teas, or they can be eaten raw. Rosella fruits start off as hibiscus-like flowers. Once the Rosella flowers die off, the fruit is left for harvesting. Rosellas like fertile, well-draining soil, but they can handle a range of soil types. Rosella plants need a minimum of 6 months of warm weather to grow and produce properly (we are looking at you South-East Queensland!). This variety of rosella can grow up to 2m high. Early Rosella plants are extremely low-maintenance, but for best results prune after your first heavy harvest (this is usually in summer).
White Icicle Radish forms a carrot-shaped edible root that is snow white and mild in flavour. White Icicle Radishes can grow up to 15cm long, are crisp in texture and have a thin skin. This variety of radish is fast growing, early maturing and can handle being planted in an area that only gets partial sun.
Queensland Blue Pumpkin produces medium to large fruits up to 5kg in weight that store extremely well. Queensland Blue Pumpkins have thick, grey-blue ribbed skin and bright orange flesh. Queensland Blue Pumpkin is sweet, firm, and drier than some other pumpkin varieties. Harvest your pumpkin when the vine turns brown and hardens. Ensure that pumpkins are cut from the vine, as if the stalk breaks at the joint of the pumpkin, the flesh could become exposed and your pumpkin can turn bad.
French Breakfast Radish produce cylindrical edible roots that grow to around 5cm long. Radishes have a deep pink and white skin and white flesh, with large leafy green tops growing 15cm tall. French Breakfast Radishes have a crisp texture but are relatively mild in flavour. This variety of radish is fast growing, early maturing and can handle being planted in an area that only gets sun for half of the day.
Butternut Pumpkin is a popular vining variety that produces bell-shaped pumpkins. Butternut Pumpkins have a smooth, creamy flesh that has a sweet and nutty flavour. This pumpkin variety only has a small seed cavity on one side of the fruit — meaning you get more pumpkin for all your hard work! Butternut Pumpkin plants are fast growing and early maturing. It is best to harvest your Butternut Pumpkins when your pumpkin vine turns brown and dies. Butternut Pumpkins store well after harvest.
Paris Market Carrots produce small, round carrots approximately 5cm in diameter. Paris Market Carrots are orange or red in colour and full of flavour. This variety of carrot can be grown in usually unideal soil conditions — if your soil is rocky, shallow, is lacking nutrients, or is rich in clay, Paris Market Carrots can still thrive. Paris Market Carrots grow great in containers and pots, so they are the perfect addition to your urban garden. Water your Paris Market Carrots regularly to ensure they form their round-shape.
All Seasons Carrots are a popular, 'store-bought' variety of carrot with a bright-orange skin and a reddish core. All Seasons Carrots are easy to grow, resistant to disease, and high in vitamin A and carotene. Carrots are crunchy, full of flavour and can grow to 20cm in the right conditions. All Seasons Carrots are best grown in full sun but they can handle partial-shade. Ensure your soil is loose and sandy, and carrots are not over-crowded to grow aesthetic long, straight produce. Don't forget, the green carrot tops are edible too! Try carrot greens out in pesto, chimichurri, or sauté like you would kale or pak choi.
Yolo Wonder Capsicum is closely related to the California Wonder Capsicum, but has increased disease resistance and produces thicker foliage which is said to better protect the fruit from sunburn. Yolo Wonder Capsicum produces fruit of up to 10cm long that ripens from green to red as it matures. This variety can grow up to 60cm (you may need a stake to support the plant as it grows!) and is a heavy producer. Fruit can be eaten green if you prefer a more bitter capsicum or let the fruit turn bright-red for a sweeter capsicum. Yolo Wonder Capsicum prefers a sunny location, but can handle partial shade. Plant Yolo Wonder Capsicum in well-draining, fertile soil.
California Wonder Capsicum is a well-known pepper variety producing bright-red and green fruit. The fruit of this capsicum variety is sweet, crisp, and high in vitamin A and C. Fruit can grow up to 10cm long, and will start green and become red as it matures. California Wonder Fruit can be harvested when green or red. Capsicum is easy to grow and produces well. California Wonder Capsicum prefers a sunny location, but can handle partial shade. Plant California Wonder Capsicum in well-draining, fertile soil.
Cherokee Wax Beans are a dwarf bush bean variety that produces pale yellow, stringless bean pods. This bean variety does not require a trellis, but we do recommend a stake to support the beanstalk as it grows. Cherokee Wax Beans prefer well-draining soil and they will need a sunny spot in your garden to reach their full potential. Ensure you harvest your beans regularly throughout the growing season because this will encourage your plant to grow more! Cherokee Wax Beans are best eaten when young, as they are sweet and tender.
Blue Lake Beans are climbing variety that produce long, green, stringless bean pods. Blue Lake Beans are a hardy, high yielding plant that can grow up to 1.8 metres tall (so you will need a trellis!). This variety of bean can do well in most types of soils, can be planted in the sun or in partial shade, and does not require a lot of fertiliser (as bean plants can fix nitrogen from the air only fertilise when tending to deficiencies). Unlike some other bean varieties, the bean pods of Blue Lake Beans remain tender even after they are finished growing — so they can be left on the plant until you are ready to harvest.
Genova Basil is an annual herb that produces aromatic, medium-green leaves that grow around 5 to 8cm long. These leaves boast a strong, peppery flavour and a vibrant fragrance. Genova Basil plants can grow between 50 to 70cm tall and are relatively slow bolting compared to other varieties — this makes Genova Basil great for growing in hotter climates. Try adding the basil leaves to a pasta sauce, flavouring some oil or chop finely and sprinkle over your roast potatoes (yes, roast potatoes.. trust us). Genova Basil is also said to be the most popular variety for pestos. Basil has medicinal properties, antibacterial properties, and can help repel mosquitos from your home!
Green Globe Artichokes are a frost tolerant annual or perennial that can grow up to 180cm tall under ideal conditions. Green Globe Artichokes produce an edible bud (otherwise known as a 'choke'), usually medium green in colour with a purple tinge at the base of the bud. The chokes of this species can reach up to 7cm to 10cm in diameter. This artichoke variety has reduced thorns on the stems of the plant. Remember it is perfectly normal to see some variability in the appearance of the choke and the length of time it takes to reach maturity.
Sakata Sweet Melon is a unique Japanese variety of melon with edible skins. Sakata Sweet Melon is a vining plant that produces small round fruit, approximately 7 to 10cm in diameter. Sakata Sweet Melons are crunchy, juicy, and high in natural sugars. Harvest your Sakata Sweet Melons when the fruit skin starts to turn from pale green to yellow, and the leaves of the vine start to die off. Ensure that your melons are cut from the vine, as if the stalk breaks at the joint of the melon, the flesh could become exposed and your melon can start to rot.