Planting Guide Melbourne

The first question I posed to myself before starting a food garden in Melbourne is what to plant and when. There is a lot of difference in the climate between the tropics and down here in very much a temperate zone. Another major difference is the lack of water.
All vegetables have an optimal sowing date however this can be stretched quite a bit each way, and some years this may vary by a couple of weeks.
Vegetables can be roughly put into 2 groups 1. Warm season crops that are killed by frost and 2. Cool season crops, those that can tolerate frost.
Plant warm season crops only when the winter frosts are gone and the soil is warm enough to germinate these seeds. The season closes when the late autumn cold sets in. I'm yet to experience a winter here in Melbourne, but because we're relatively close to the coast the frosts may be more mild than they will be further inland. Water has the ability to retain heat therefore stabilizing temperatures near the coast.

Cold season crops then fall into two groups, the cabbage family grows best when it starts in the warmth of late summer and then matures into winter. Cabbages mature as the day length gets shorter.
The onion family likes to start in cooler weather and matures as the weather warms, and the days get longer in summer.

Young seeds respond and germinate once the soil temperature is right. For example; beans, beetroot, carrot and all the cabbage family will germinate when the soil temperature rises to 15 degrees Celsius, warm season crops like tomatoes, capsicums, egg plants, cucumbers, melons and corn will germinate when the soil temperature reaches 20 degrees. Leeks and onions are planted in the autumn/winter and germinate when the soil in 10 degrees.

There are many methods to get a head start on warm season crops by first germinating them in a glass house. So now it's a matter to put all this new information to the test and start planting.