If you prefer roast dinners to crunchy raw vegetables then autumn is the season for you. As the weather turns colder more of the classic roast vegetables will start to come into season. Below is our list of autumn vegetables in Australia which shows you what vegetables are in season in March, April and May.
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Brussels Sprouts
This traditional winter vegetable may already be appearing on shelves but the peak season for Brussels Sprouts will come in late autumn and winter. For many of us they are associated with roast dinners which warm us up through the cooler autumn and winter months, at least in the southern states.
Cabbages
Chinese cabbages are autumn vegetables with peak wombok cabbage season occurring throughout autumn and smaller varieties like bok choy and baby choy ramping up to their peak in winter. Availability of green cabbages and savoy cabbages will likely peak in late autumn to winter while the peak season for red cabbage varieties may come earlier in autumn.
Capsicums
Capsicums are reaching the end of their availability window so early autumn should yield some good prices. Look out for red and yellow varieties that will have ripened later in the season. You might find that stock is running out fast so make sure to shop around. Southern states may run out sooner with the late season crops coming from Queensland.
Carrots
Early season carrots will be harvested from mid-autumn. These winter vegetables can be stored for up to 6 months so the freshest and most affordable produce may not filter down until late autumn and winter. Carrots are popular in autumn as a sweeter alternative to traditional starchy autumn and winter vegetables.
Eggplant
Eggplants are autumn vegetables with peak availability running from late summer through autumn. Although they don’t look similar eggplants are actually related to tomatoes and require similarly warm conditions to thrive. 60% of Australian eggplants are grown in polytunnels and glasshouses allowing for some production to continue outside the traditional eggplant season.
Leafy Salad
Loose leaf salads like rocket and baby spinach are late-summer and early-autumn vegetables with the Victorian season running until mid-autumn. Only around 7% of leafy salad vegetables are grown in polytunnels and glasshouses to allow for some out of season crops.
Onions
Ironically in Australia spring onions are actually more like autumn vegetables with peak availability from late summer to autumn. The name is more suited to traditional growing methods where the shoots were harvested earlier in the onion season. Peak season for brown onions and red onions should run throughout autumn before availability drops off in winter.
Parsnips
Parsnip is a winter vegetable but availability will increase throughout autumn. In Victoria the peak parsnip season will begin in late autumn and continue throughout winter. Around 70% of Australian parsnips are produced in Victoria and southern parts of Western Australia.
Pumpkins
Pumpkins are famous autumn vegetables thanks to their connection to Halloween. It’s no coincidence because the peak season for most varieties is mid-autumn — which falls in October in the US — so there is always lots of excess pumpkin for carving. Unfortunately pumpkin availability is low around October in Australia. Peak availability of grey pumpkins is in early autumn while butternut and Kent (aka Japanese) pumpkins peak in mid–late autumn.
Potatoes
This is more of an honourable mention than useful guidance because potatoes are available year-round. Growing methods have been adapted to be viable year round due to their popularity. That said potatoes are traditionally harvested in late summer and autumn so garden growers can be excited for fresh potatoes in autumn.
Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes are autumn vegetables with the peak sweet potato season running from late summer to early winter. Almost 90% of Australian sweet potatoes are grown in Queensland which allows for year-round availability but there is also a smaller harvest from NSW growers in early autumn.
Looking for Autumn Fruits?
Check out our other guide for a list of autumn fruits in Australia. Our seasonal produce guide will also tell you what vegetables are in season now.
