The Gippsland Urban Gardener

Gippsland spring planting & value guide

Crop	Sow	Plant seedlings	First harvest	Typical yield / m²	Approx. grocery value*
Carrots	Aug–Nov	—	10–16 weeks	3–5 kg	$8–$20
Beetroot	Aug–Nov	—	8–12 weeks	3–5 kg	$9–$20
Radish	Aug–Dec	—	4–7 weeks	2–4 kg	$8–$20
Lettuce	Aug–Dec	Aug–Dec	6–10 weeks	2–4 kg	$12–$30
Silverbeet	Aug–Dec	Aug–Dec	8–12 weeks	4–8 kg	$16–$40
Spring onions	Aug–Dec	—	8–12 weeks	2–4 kg	$15–$35
Peas	Aug–Oct	—	10–14 weeks	1–3 kg	$8–$25
Potatoes	Aug–Oct	—	12–20 weeks	3–6 kg	$8–$18
Broccoli	Aug–Oct	Aug–Oct	10–16 weeks	1.5–3 kg	$10–$25
Cabbage	Aug–Oct	Aug–Oct	12–18 weeks	3–6 kg	$9–$25
Cauliflower	Aug–Oct	Aug–Oct	12–18 weeks	2–4 kg	$10–$25
Climbing beans	Oct–Dec	Oct–Dec	8–12 weeks	2–5 kg	$16–$50
Dwarf beans	Oct–Dec	Oct–Dec	8–12 weeks	1.5–3 kg	$12–$30
Cucumber	Oct–Dec	Oct–Dec	8–12 weeks	3–7 kg	$15–$40
Zucchini	Oct–Dec	Oct–Dec	7–10 weeks	4–10 kg	$12–$40
Tomatoes	Sep–Nov	Sep–Nov	12–18 weeks	4–8 kg	$25–$60
Cherry tomatoes	Sep–Nov	Sep–Nov	12–16 weeks	5–10 kg	$35–$80
Capsicum	Oct–Nov	Oct–Nov	14–20 weeks	2–5 kg	$20–$50
Chillies	Oct–Nov	Oct–Nov	14–20 weeks	1–3 kg	$15–$45
Sweet corn	Oct–Dec	—	12–16 weeks	2–4 kg	$8–$20
Pumpkin	Oct–Dec	Oct–Dec	16–24 weeks	2–5 kg	$5–$15
Basil	Oct–Dec	Oct–Dec	6–10 weeks	1–3 kg	$20–$50

*The grocery-value figures are indicative retail replacement values, rather than current supermarket quotes. They are intended to let you compare crops economically.

The crop choices are consistent with Australian cool/temperate spring gardening guidance; for example, Gardening Australia lists potatoes, broad beans, shallots, tomatoes and eggplant for cool climates and peas, beans, carrots and pumpkins for temperate areas. (ABC News)

🫐 Berries

Berries can be particularly interesting from a maximum-value-per-square-metre perspective.

Berry	Plant	First significant harvest	Mature yield / m²	Approx. grocery value
Strawberries	Aug–Oct	3–6 months	1–3 kg	$10–$45
Raspberries	Aug–Sep	1–2 years	1–3 kg	$15–$60
Blackberries	Aug–Sep	1–2 years	2–5 kg	$20–$75
Boysenberries	Aug–Sep	1–2 years	2–4 kg	$20–$60
Blueberries	Aug–Oct	1–3 years	1–4 kg	$15–$60
Gooseberries	Aug–Sep	1–2 years	1–3 kg	$15–$45
Redcurrants	Aug–Sep	1–2 years	1–3 kg	$15–$50
Blackcurrants	Aug–Sep	1–2 years	1–3 kg	$15–$45

Victoria's commercial berry season extends roughly from November through April, so berries fit particularly well into the spring/summer production cycle. (Agriculture Victoria)

🍎 Fruit trees

Fruit trees are different because the first-year yield is normally negligible. For an economic comparison, I'd use an established-tree estimate.

Fruit tree	Planting	First useful crop	Mature yield/tree	Approx. annual grocery value
Apple	Winter–spring	2–4 yrs	15–30 kg	$45–$120
Pear	Winter–spring	2–4 yrs	15–30 kg	$45–$120
Plum	Winter–spring	2–4 yrs	10–25 kg	$40–$100
Peach	Winter–spring	2–3 yrs	10–25 kg	$40–$100
Nectarine	Winter–spring	2–3 yrs	10–20 kg	$40–$100
Apricot	Winter–spring	2–4 yrs	10–20 kg	$40–$100
Cherry	Winter–spring	3–5 yrs	5–15 kg	$50–$150
Quince	Winter–spring	2–4 yrs	10–20 kg	$30–$80
Mulberry	Spring	2–4 yrs	10–25 kg	$50–$150
Feijoa	Spring/autumn	2–4 yrs	10–25 kg	$40–$125
Lemon	Spring	2–4 yrs	10–30 kg	$50–$150
Mandarin	Spring	2–4 yrs	10–30 kg	$30–$100

Fruit trees need to be treated as a long-term investment, rather than comparing them directly with a 3-month vegetable crop.

For "maximum output for minimum cost", I'd rank the spring crops approximately like this:

🥇 Very high value

1. Cherry tomatoes
High yield, long harvest period and relatively expensive to buy compared with ordinary tomatoes.

2. Climbing beans
Excellent use of vertical space. A trellis turns a small ground footprint into a productive crop.

3. Strawberries
Particularly attractive because supermarket berries are relatively expensive.

4. Raspberries / blackberries
Excellent long-term value if you have somewhere to trellis them.

5. Basil and other fresh herbs
Potentially extraordinary value per square metre if you actually use them regularly.

🥈 High value

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Capsicum
• Chillies
• Lettuce
• Spring onions
• Silverbeet
• Blueberries

🥉 Good for food production, but lower financial return

• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Pumpkin
• Sweet corn
• Beetroot

This distinction is important. The cheapest vegetables in the supermarket aren't necessarily the best vegetables to grow if your objective is saving money. Potatoes are a good example: they produce a useful crop, but supermarket potatoes are comparatively inexpensive. By contrast, berries, herbs, specialty tomatoes and capsicum can have much higher replacement value.

🌱 For 4 12 square foot garden beds

48 × 1-square-foot growing spaces ≈ 12 m²

Then allocate those spaces according to $ value per square metre, rather than simply planting 12 different vegetables.

A very productive 12 m² spring/summer combination could look something like:

Crop	Approx. area	Potential harvest
Cherry tomatoes	2 m²	10–16 kg
Climbing beans	2 m²	4–10 kg
Cucumbers	1 m²	3–7 kg
Zucchini	1 m²	4–8 kg
Lettuce	1 m²	2–4 kg
Silverbeet	1 m²	4–8 kg
Carrots	1 m²	3–5 kg
Beetroot	1 m²	3–5 kg
Basil	0.5 m²	0.5–1.5 kg
Spring onions	0.5 m²	1–2 kg
Vertical/edge space	—	strawberries/berries

That gives you a garden designed around continuous harvesting and grocery replacement value, rather than simply filling every square with a conventional crop.