← All guides · 1 October 2026 · 7 min read

What to plant in Brisbane in October: a spring guide for pots

October is one of the busiest planting months in South-East Queensland. The soil is warm, the days are long, and the summer storms haven't really started. It's a great time to fill your pots, as long as you pick plants that can handle what's coming next: heat, humidity and heavy rain.

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What October is like in SEQ

Spring in Brisbane is usually warm and fairly dry, with plenty of sunshine and the occasional hot, windy day. Late in the month, the first afternoon storms often roll in. For gardeners that means two things. Plants put in now have a few good weeks to establish before the real heat. And anything that prefers cool weather, like coriander, peas and most brassicas, is near the end of its season, so it's time to move on to summer crops.

The rule of thumb for October is simple: plant things that like it hot. If a plant originally comes from the tropics or a hot climate, it's probably a good choice now.

Vegetables that suit pots in October

Chillies and capsicum

Chillies are probably the most reliable fruiting crop for a Brisbane balcony. They love the heat, cope with humidity, and in our frost-free climate they often keep going for more than one season. Capsicum is a little fussier but follows the same rules. A pot of around 20–30 litres in full sun is a good start. There's much more detail in the guide to growing chillies in pots in Queensland.

Cherry tomatoes

Early October is still a reasonable time to plant tomatoes in SEQ, but you're racing the summer. Once days get very hot and nights stay warm, many tomatoes stop setting fruit, and disease and fruit fly get worse. Cherry tomatoes cope much better than large beefsteak types, so stick with those now. See growing tomatoes in pots in Brisbane for pot sizes, timing and fruit fly control.

Eggplant

Eggplant loves warm weather and grows well in a large pot. The smaller, long Asian varieties and the mini types tend to be more productive in containers than the big globe ones.

Bush beans and snake beans

Bush beans are quick, don't need a trellis, and suit a deep trough or a couple of medium pots. If you have a railing or a small trellis, snake beans (yard-long beans) are made for our summers and keep producing in the heat when ordinary beans slow down. Try bush bean seeds for the simplest start.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers grow fast in October and can be trained up a railing or a frame. They're prone to powdery mildew in humid weather, so give them good airflow and water the mix, not the leaves.

Lettuce, but in the right spot

Lettuce isn't really a summer crop here, but you can keep it going in spring if you grow loose-leaf types, give it afternoon shade and pick the outer leaves often. Once it starts to taste bitter and send up a stalk, pull it out and replace it with something heat-loving.

Herbs to plant now

• Basil and Thai basil are at their best from now until autumn. Pinch out flower heads to keep them leafy. Thai basil seeds are worth trying if you cook Asian dishes.
• Lemongrass loves heat and grows into a big clump, so give it a large pot.
• Vietnamese mint handles heat and wet much better than ordinary mint. Keep it moist.
• Mint, chives and parsley can still go in, but give parsley some afternoon shade as summer approaches.

If you're just getting started, the balcony herb garden for under A$50 covers the basic setup.

Tropical greens: the summer spinach replacements

Ordinary spinach and many Asian greens bolt quickly once it warms up. In SEQ, a few tropical leafy greens do the job much better through summer:

• Ceylon spinach (Malabar spinach), a climbing vine with thick, glossy leaves. It needs something to climb.
• Brazilian spinach, a low, dense groundcover that's ideal for a wide pot or trough. Cook it rather than eating it raw.
• Okinawa spinach, a pretty purple-and-green perennial that's easy to grow from cuttings.

These are often easier to find as cuttings or small plants from local nurseries, markets and community gardens than as seed.

What to skip in October

• Coriander goes to seed very quickly in warm weather. Wait until autumn.
• Peas and broad beans are cool-season crops and will struggle.
• Cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower don't like heat, and caterpillars are very active over summer.
• Large tomato varieties planted now will usually be hitting the hottest, wettest part of the year just as they should be fruiting.

Seeds or seedlings?

Seedlings from a nursery give you a head start, which matters in spring because you want plants established before the heat. Seeds are cheaper and give you more variety. Beans and cucumbers are easy to sow straight into their final pot. For smaller seeds like basil, sow them into a fine seed raising mix in a tray, then transplant once they have a few true leaves.

Setting pots up for the summer ahead

1. Go bigger than you think. Larger pots dry out more slowly and give roots room. Our guide to pots that work on a Brisbane balcony explains the options.
2. Use fresh potting mix. Spring is a good time to replace old, compacted mix. See choosing potting mix for Brisbane heat.
3. Mulch the surface. A thin layer of sugar cane mulch slows evaporation and keeps roots cooler.
4. Plan for shade. A west-facing balcony can get brutally hot in summer afternoons. A piece of 30% shade cloth you can put up from December protects leafy plants without stopping fruiting crops.
5. Check drainage. Make sure every pot drains freely before the storm season, and empty saucers after rain.

A simple October balcony plan

If you only have room for four or five pots, a realistic spring setup could be:

• One 25–30 litre pot of chillies in the sunniest spot.
• One large pot or grow bag of cherry tomatoes, staked.
• One trough of bush beans or basil.
• One pot each of Vietnamese mint and lemongrass.

That combination gives you something to pick almost every week through summer, and most of it will keep going into autumn.