How to Create a Year-Round Growing Plan in Your Greenhouse

Year-round greenhouse growing is not about stuffing every spare corner with plants and hoping for the best. It works when we treat the greenhouse like a small, protected farm: we plan what goes in, when it goes in, and what follows it.

In Australia, that planning matters even more because our “hard season” changes by region.

Down south, winter light and cold slows growth. Up north, summer heat and humidity can be the bigger challenge. A solid greenhouse growing schedule helps us keep harvests coming while avoiding the common pitfalls like glut planting, pest build-up, and soil that gets tired.

This is the Maze greenhouse planner approach we use when we want a greenhouse that produces more often, wastes less, and feels manageable week to week.

Step 1: Start with your goal (and be honest about your time)

Before we touch a seed packet, decide what “success” looks like for you:

• Salad all year: leafy greens, herbs, spring onions, radish
• Winter strength: brassicas, peas, broad beans, Asian greens
• Summer abundance: tomatoes, capsicums, cucumbers, basil
• Seedling engine: raising strong starts to plant out into beds later

Then match the plan to your real capacity. If you only want to garden on weekends, build a schedule with fewer crop types and more repeat sowings of the same reliable performers.

Step 2: Map your greenhouse space like a mini market garden

A simple layout makes planning greenhouse crops easier and improves greenhouse crop rotation later.

We recommend splitting the greenhouse into 4 zones:

1. Warm-season bed or side strip (tomatoes, cucumbers, basil)
2. Cool-season bed (leafy greens, brassicas, peas)
3. Propagation corner (seed trays, potting bench, labels)
4. Quarantine and recovery area (a spot for “problem” plants, and hardening off)

If you are building from scratch or want cleaner crop swaps, raised beds are a game changer. They warm faster, drain better, and let us refresh soil without re-doing the whole greenhouse.

Step 3: Build your “always-on” crop list (the secret to an all season greenhouse)

Most people plan the exciting crops first (tomatoes), then scramble in the gaps. We do the opposite.

Pick 6 to 10 “always-on” crops that suit greenhouse life:

• Leafy greens: lettuce, spinach, silverbeet, rocket
• Herbs: parsley, coriander (cool season), basil (warm season), chives
• Fast roots: radish, baby beetroot
• All-year basics: spring onions, celery (in cooler zones), microgreens
• Pollination-friendly flowers in pots: calendula, alyssum (space permitting)

These crops form the backbone of year-round greenhouse growing. They also make succession sowing feel worth it because you are harvesting often.

Step 4: Plan succession sowing (continuous harvest tips that actually work)

Succession sowing is the difference between “we’ve got heaps of lettuce” and “why do we have 14 lettuces ready on the same day”.

A simple rhythm:

• Every 2 weeks: sow leafy greens, radish, coriander (in season)
• Every 3 to 4 weeks: sow spring onions, beetroot (small batches)
• Every 6 to 8 weeks: start the next wave of warm-season plants in trays (in late winter and spring)

Write these dates on a calendar and set reminders. A planting calendar greenhouse growers can stick to is better than a perfect plan that lives in a spreadsheet.

Step 5: Use a simple greenhouse crop rotation (even in small spaces)

Rotation in a greenhouse matters because pests and diseases can linger, and the soil is used more intensively.

Easy 3-group rotation for greenhouse beds:

• Fruit: tomatoes, capsicums, cucumbers, eggplant
• Leaf: lettuce, spinach, silverbeet, herbs
• Root and legume: radish, beetroot, carrots (if depth allows), peas, beans

If you only have one main bed, rotate by season instead:

• Warm season becomes the “fruit bed”
• Cool season becomes “leaf and legume”
• Then refresh with compost and repeat

Step 6: Create your seasonal greenhouse guide (Australia, southern hemisphere)

Below is a practical greenhouse growing schedule you can adapt. Think of it as a framework, not a strict rulebook.

Summer (Dec to Feb): shade, airflow, and smart watering

Best focus: heat-tolerant crops and fast harvests

• Grow: tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicums, basil, eggplant
• Keep producing: spring onions, heat-tolerant lettuces, herbs
• Start in trays: autumn brassicas, parsley, Asian greens toward late summer

Jobs that keep plants alive in real Australian summer conditions:

• Water early, mulch well, and avoid wetting leaves late in the day
• Feed fruiting crops regularly (compost, worm castings, seaweed, whichever fits your system)
• Remove diseased leaves quickly to reduce fungal spread

Autumn (Mar to May): the best “reset” season

Best focus: soil improvement and cool-season changeover

• Sow and plant: broccoli, cauliflower, kale, pak choi, rocket, spinach
• Direct sow: peas (cooler areas), radish, spring onions
• Keep finishing: late tomatoes and capsicums, if healthy

Autumn is where year-round greenhouse growing really starts to feel easy, because nights cool down and growth becomes steadier.

Winter (Jun to Aug): chase light, not speed

Best focus: leafy greens and steady harvests

• Grow: spinach, rocket, Asian greens, parsley, coriander (in many areas), silverbeet
• Also good: peas and broad beans (varies by region and greenhouse warmth)
• Start in trays: tomatoes, capsicums, cucumbers in late winter (timing depends on your area)

Winter greenhouse gardening is mostly about managing low light and slower growth. Plant less, but keep sowing small batches so something is always coming on.

Spring (Sep to Nov): the launchpad for abundance

Best focus: warm-season seedlings and fast turnarounds

• Plant out: tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicums once nights are mild enough for your region
• Keep sowing: lettuce, basil, spring onions, radish
• Clear beds: finish winter greens as warm crops take over

Spring is when your greenhouse becomes a seedling factory and a harvest space at the same time. It can get crowded fast, so spacing and pruning matter.

A simple month-by-month planting calendar greenhouse growers can follow

Use this as a starting point, then shift 2 to 6 weeks earlier or later depending on your local climate.

Sustainability tips we use to keep the greenhouse productive (and low waste)

• Compost-first feeding: top-dress beds with finished compost, then mulch. It reduces watering and boosts soil biology.
• Grow what you buy most: if we buy herbs weekly, we grow herbs weekly. That is the easiest sustainability win.
• Reuse and label pots: keep labels consistent so you do not waste time re-guessing varieties.
• Water smarter: a simple drip line, soaker hose, or wicking system can reduce evaporation and keep foliage drier.

Common mistakes that break a greenhouse growing schedule

• Planting everything at once: leads to gluts, then empty beds
• No plan for summer heat: plants bolt, flower, or stall
• Ignoring airflow: pests and fungal issues get comfortable
• Replanting the same crop family in the same spot: disease pressure builds

If you only fix one thing, fix the timing. Small, regular sowings beat big, occasional planting every time.

FAQs / Common Questions

What can I grow year-round in a greenhouse?

For year-round greenhouse growing, we get the most reliability from leafy greens, herbs, spring onions, radish, and microgreens. Warm-season crops like tomatoes and cucumbers can dominate in spring and summer, while winter is better for spinach, rocket, parsley and many Asian greens.

Your local climate still matters. In tropical and subtropical areas, the greenhouse may be more useful in the dry season or as heavy rain protection, while shade and ventilation become essential in the wet season.

How do I plan a greenhouse growing calendar?

Start with:

1. Your “always-on” crops (greens, herbs, quick roots)
2. Two main seasonal swaps (warm-season fruiting crops, then cool-season greens and brassicas)
3. Succession sowing dates every 2 to 4 weeks
4. A simple rotation (fruit, leaf, root/legume)

That structure becomes your greenhouse growing schedule. From there, refine it based on what your household actually eats.

What are the best crops for winter greenhouse gardening?

For winter greenhouse gardening in many Australian regions, the standouts are spinach, rocket, coriander, parsley, Asian greens, silverbeet, and hardy lettuces. If your greenhouse stays mild, you can also do peas and broad beans, plus start spring seedlings toward the end of winter.