What to plant in Tropical Climates during August
Vulgare Oregano is an evergreen, perennial herb that packs a full-on flavour. Oregano is popular in Italian and Mexican cuisine and can be used fresh or dried. Vulgare Oregano will grow to 15cm tall and around 60cm in diameter. Vulgare Oregano plants are drought tolerant and can withstand poor soil quality (but make sure your soil is living and healthy to grow the best crop). We recommend using a 5 to 10 gallon grow bag as a 'forever pot' — this will give your Oregano enough space to spread.
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.
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.
Romanian Red Cos Lettuce is a bi-colour variety which has deep-red and vibrant green leaves that grow vertically to form a loose head. Romanian Red Cos is slow bolting and can handle warmer climates, so it is a great lettuce variety to add to your garden for the summer. The outside lettuce leaves can be harvested as required during the growing season and this will also encourage more plant growth. Romanian Red Cost Lettuce prefers rich well-draining soil and a sunny spot in your garden (but it can tolerate partial shade). Romanian Red Cos Lettuce may require protection from the sun during the extreme heats of summer. Protect your lettuce from pests like snails, slugs, and aphids.
Grow your own 'iceburg' lettuce! Great Lakes Lettuce is your common, drum-head lettuce with crisp, slightly crinkled leaves. Great Lakes Lettuce is easy to grow, slow bolting, and can handle a partially shady spot in your garden. While Great Lakes Lettuce dislikes extreme heats, this variety can handle hot conditions better than other lettuce varieties — so it will be a great addition to your garden in the summertime! This lettuce variety can grow well in a variety of different soils, but it will need to be protected from pests like snails, slugs, and aphids.
Dwarf Blue Curled Kale produces dark blue-green curled leaves rich in vitamin A and C, and is high in antioxidants. This is a dwarf variety that reaches 35 to 45cm tall and about 75cm wide. Dwarf Blue Curled Kale is hardy and frost tolerant. Plant this variety in an area that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.
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.
Swiss Chard, known more commonly as 'Silverbeet', is a green, leafy vegetable with edible stalks (like celery) and leaves (like spinach). Rainbow Swiss Chard is a mixture of red, green, pink, and yellow swiss chard varieties. This variety of swiss chard is likely to reach around 60cm in height. Because Rainbow Swiss Chard grows vertically, this vegetable is great for growing in pots and containers. The stand-out hues in Rainbow Swiss Chard are sure to brighten up your garden and would be great to get kids interested in gardening (and in vegetables too!).
Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard, known more commonly as 'Silverbeet', is a green, leafy vegetable that can reach 70cm in height. Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard grows vertical white stalks that house tender green leaves. Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard is faster growing than other similar varieties. This variety of chard is frost tolerant and resistant to bolts. Treat your swiss chard leaves like you would other leafy vegetables, and don't forget the white stalk can be eaten like celery!
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.
Scallop Yellow Squash, otherwise known as Summer Squash or Patty Pan Squash, is a bush squash that produces bright yellow disc-shaped fruit with scalloped edges. Scallop Yellow Squash is fast-growing, high-yielding, and compact enough to be grown in a pot or container. Scallop Yellow Squash can be picked when young, and frequent harvesting will encourage more plant growth.
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.
Dwarf Double Opera Dahlias are a frost-tender perennial that produce double and semi-double flowers. This is a dwarf variety and the compact flower stems do not require staking or support as they grow. Dwarf Double Opera Dahlias are heat resistant and have a long flowering season. Remember to remove the old spent flower heads to stimulate further plant growth (otherwise known as 'deadheading'). This mix contains white, orange, purple, yellow, and red Dahlia varieties. Dwarf Double Opera Dahlias are great for growing in pots, containers, grow bags or as a flower boarder.
Eureka Coriander, also known as "Cilantro" or "Chinese Parsley" is an annual aromatic herb that can grow up to 50cm tall. The entire Eureka Coriander plant is edible — including the leaves, stems, roots, and seeds. Add the leaves and stems to a pasta dish, sauce, dip, or simply eat them fresh. Harvest and dry the seeds to use whole or grind up as a spice. Eureka Coriander is a slower bolting variety, meaning it is one of the better varieties for growing in the heat. Eureka Coriander can be planted in full sun to part shade, but make sure you keep your coriander out of the direct afternoon sun to be safe.
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.
Our Cactus Species Mixed seeds contains five species of perennial cacti species. Cacti are a fantastic, extremely low-maintenance way to add greenery to your house or garden. Cactuses can grow in poor soil conditions — in fact, they love sandy or rocky soil. Cactuses also don't need to be watered often. They actually prefer to stay dry! Cactuses are long-lasting, hardy, and will put on a beautiful display when they flower. Cactuses are fantastic little houseplants. Pop them in a miniature colourful pot, place them in a sunny position, then set and forget!
Our Cactus Species Mix contains random quantities of the following seed varieties:
Saguaro Cactus (Carnegia gigantea) — The Saguaro Cactus is a tall, skinny, tree-like cactus that form branches (otherwise known as 'arms'). The spines of the Saguaro Cactus are small and white. This variety of cactus produces strong-scented white flowers at the top of the stems and the cactus arms in the late spring.
Golden Barrel Cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) — The Golden Barrel Cactus is a short, round-shaped cactus with long golden spines. The colour of cactus is pale- to lime- green and they sprout bright yellow flowers in late spring.
Strawberry Cactus or Hedgehog Cactus or Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus (Echincereus enneacanth) — The Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus is affectionately named after the lifeform it resembles. The Strawberry Hedgehog Cactus can form small clumps of 100 (or more) individual stems by the time it reaches maturity. In the summer, these stems develop large, show-stopping, bright pink-purple (or 'strawberry') coloured flowers.
Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus sp.) — Barrel Cactuses are large and attractive individual barrel-shaped stems. The flowers of a Barrel Cactus are small but generally form a ring around the tip of the cactus. Barrel Cactuses have ridges that run vertically down the stem, and are covered with both long and short spines.
Arizona Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus wislizeni) — Arizona Barrel Cactuses are usually a singular, cylindrical shaped cactus. Rarely does this variety have multiple stems. The Arizona Barrel Cactus has between 15 to 30 ribs with small groupings of spines running down each rib. Similar to other Barrel Cactuses, the Arizona Barrel Cactus produces a ring of flowers around the tip of its stem.
Get the birds and the bees buzzing in your garden with our Butterfly Mix! Our Butterfly Mix contains Monarda didyna (Beebalm), Rudbeckia (Black/brown Eyed Susans), Liatris (Blazing Star), Nepeta — Catmint (similar to Catnip, but does not entice cats), Echinacea, Ageratum (Floss Flower), Lavender, Asclepias (Tropical Milkweed), Phlox (Garden Phlox), Salvia (Common Garden Sage), Antirrhinum (Snapdragon), Achillea (Yarrow), and Zinnia seeds. Not only will this combination of flower seeds look aesthetic and attract butterflies to your garden, but it will also diversity your backyard ecosystem and provide the butterflies with the nectar they need to pollinate your plan
Our Nana Compacta Petunia seeds produce a mixture of purple, pink, and white hued flowerheads. Nana Compacta Petunias are a dwarf, multiflora variety that produces smaller but prolific blooms. These flowers are perfect for bordering, companion planting and simply adding colour to your garden. Nana Compacta Petunias are great for pots, containers, grow bags, and (our favourite) hanging baskets!