Airgarden’s Winter Growing Guide - with Prue Bauer

Today we sat down with  Airgarden’s Founder, Prue Bauer, as she walked us through the best way to manage our pods and produce through the cooler months. 

Throughout Autumn we always encourage our Airgarden growers to start thinking about sowing cooler-season crops that will be ready to harvest throughout Winter, and here we are. 

Even though the cooler months create colder nights and reduced sunlight, your aeroponic Airgarden creates a controlled growing environment, which makes your plants less susceptible to the natural elements than when growing in soil – meaning there are many crops that will thrive all year round.  

Prue recommends moving your Airgarden to a spot that gets the maximum amount of daily sunlight now the sun is lower in the sky! She recommends a minimum of 4 hours direct sunlight for herbs & leafy greens. For fruiting plants, it’s recommended to aim for a minimum of 6 hours direct sunlight.

Read on for her favourite things to plant during Winter and harvest in the following months in the main growing regions around Australia. We are always surprised by what our amazing Airgarden Tribe shares in the Facebook community, drop by and take a look here. 

Meanwhile, you can download our Winter Growing guide here:

Download our  Airgarden Winter Growing Guide here. 

Aeroponics Growing - All Regions

Many leafy greens and vegetables grow best in cooler weather all around Australia:

Click here to download the climate zone map

• Leek, rocket, spring onion and Asian greens (e.g. bok choy)
• Brassica vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale and cauliflower
• Brussel sprouts, spinach and peas
• Lettuce is also a cool season veggie so will grow well in your Airgarden throughout all of Autumn and Winter
• The cooler weather is also perfect for many herbs such as coriander, chives, dill, mint, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram and oregano

The following herbs, fruits and vegetables thrive in the subtropical regions of the country, which is located on the southern, central eastern and western coasts.

• Herbs: Comfrey, parsley, dill, mint, thyme, marjoram, sage, lavender, tarragon, oregano, sorrel
• Fruits and Vegetables: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, bok choy, rocket, silver beet, peas and snow peas, spinach, tomatoes, spring onion, tomatoes and Sunflowers.

Winter Tropical Plants

In the far northern areas of Australia, the following herbs, fruits and vegetables will grow with great success with your Airgarden.

• Herbs: dill, coriander, thyme, sage, mint, oregano, basil, marjoram, tarragon, chives, parsley
• Fruits and Vegetables: beans, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, silverbeet, kale, leeks, lettuce, rocket, tomatoes, spinach, zucchini, celery, zucchini, sweet tomato

We have some of our Airgarden community growers sharing their recent harvest of the Autumn crop grown in the Northern NSW region of Bangalow / Byron Bay.

Recently Lisa Messenger shared her planting and growth journey of her Airgarden  including the first Airgarden harvest of Bok Choy for dinner - direct from her porch to plate.  Here she and Prue are making her fresh salad with fresh ingredients from her first Airgarden harvest.....

Lisa Messenger’s Airgarden included the following seedlings: 

🌱 Row 1: basil, bok choi, chilli

🌱 Row 2: chives, cucumber, dill, eggplant, cos

🌱 Row 3: cos, mint, spring onion, parsley, snow peas

🌱 Row 4: rocket, lettuce butterhead, silver beat

🌱 Row 5: spinach, lettuce Asian mix, thyme

🌱 Row 6: watercress, zucchini

Winter Desert/Arid Tropical Plants

In the harsh conditions of central Australia, you are still able to get fantastic yield by planting the following herbs, fruits and vegetables.

• Herbs: parsley, coriander, marjoram, thyme, oregano, lavender, comfrey, dill, chives, curry leaves, mint, sage, oregano, rosemary
• Fruits and Vegetables: beans, broccoli, capsicum, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, peas/snow peas, rocket, spring onion, silver beet, spinach, tomatoes

Winter Temperate Plants

In the temperate climates of South West and South East Australia, the following herbs, fruits, and vegetables will grow well in your hydroponic tower.

• Herbs: coriander, oregano, parsley, chives
• Fruits and Vegetables: broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, leeks, lettuce, bok choy, snow peas, rocket, silverbeet, spinach, green beans

Winter Cool Climate Plants

In Tasmania, and the inner hills of Victoria and NSW, you will be able to grow a range of herbs, fruits and vegetables including:

• Herbs: Dill, chives, spring onion, parsley, wheatgrass
• Fruits and Vegetables: Bok choy, cauliflower, cabbage, collards, leek, kale, lettuce, mustard greens, spring onion, pak choy, spinach, rocket, watercress, silver beet

Below, we also have one of our Melbourne Airgardeners Sophia-Jean Dunn from @Bloom_Kitchen who has been harvesting her Autumn crop planted a few weeks ago on her Airgarden. She utilises the herbs in her cooking for her catering business.

Common Winter Pests

The cooler weather usually means defending your crops against snails and slugs, but the good news is they are not a risk when growing in a vertical aeroponic garden!

However with all brassica crops (including broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages, cauliflower and kale), watch out for white butterflies – they will lay eggs on your plants' leaves and heads, which turn into green caterpillars who can eat their way through your entire crop incredibly quickly for their size!

Prue mentions this in the video here on growing winter crops.

Using a pest net over your Airgarden is the best protection against butterflies, but if you do notice any caterpillars remove them by hand or using an organic pesticide such as Nature's Way Caterpillar Killer.

Airgarden Will Get You Started Growing at Home

Airgarden has the best vertical garden kit for hydroponic systems available in Australia. Our starter kits have all the equipment and seeds to get you ready and planting this Winter. We also stock an extensive range of seeds, allowing you to order the plants you need, when you need them. The best way to find out what works in your area, check our growing guide for different zones in Australia.

Learn more about our hydroponic systems by checking out our seedlings store online, or here by taking our growing quiz.