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Australia · January

What’s in season in Australia in January

In January in Australia, the fruit at its best includes apricot, blackberry, blueberry, rockmelon and cherry, and the vegetables include beetroot, capsicum, sweetcorn, cucumber, eggplant, garlic and green beans. Just starting: grapes, butternut pumpkin, fennel and kale. Near the end of their season: grapefruit. This is the cooler south; the tropical north has its own calendar.

Last reviewed 9 October 2026 · 36 items at their peak

Stone fruit is the story of January: peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots, with cherries, raspberries and blueberries beside them. Tomatoes, sweetcorn, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant and basil are all at their cheapest, and mangoes, lychees and pineapples are easy to find. Rockmelon, watermelon and honeydew are in their best weeks, and the first new-season apples and pears are not far off.

Vegetables 15 at their best or changing

  • BeetrootAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from January to April.

  • CapsicumAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to March. Queensland winter crops fill the cooler months.

  • CucumberAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to February.

  • EggplantAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from January to March.

  • GarlicAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to February.

  • Green beansAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from January to March.

  • LettuceAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from November to February.

  • OnionAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from January to March.

  • ShallotAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from January to March.

  • SweetcornAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to February.

  • TomatoAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to March. Queensland winter crops fill the cooler months.

  • ZucchiniAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to February.

  • Butternut pumpkinJust starting

    New in the shops. Peaks April to July.

  • FennelJust starting

    New in the shops. Peaks April to August.

  • KaleJust starting

    New in the shops. Peaks April to August.

Also around, not at their best asparagus, baby spinach, broccolini, carrot, celeriac, celery, ginger, green peas, mushrooms, potato, pumpkin, radish, rocket, silverbeet, snow peas, spring onion, sugar snap peas, sweet potato

Fruit 20 at their best or changing

  • ApricotAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to January.

  • BlackberryAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to February.

  • BlueberryAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to February.

  • CherryAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to January.

  • Honeydew melonAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to February.

  • LimeAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from November to April.

  • LycheeAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to January. Grown in Queensland and northern New South Wales.

  • MangoAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to February. In the Northern Territory and north Queensland the season starts in September.

  • NectarineAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from January to February.

  • PapayaAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to April. Grown in far north Queensland all year.

  • PassionfruitAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from January and May to August. Grown in Queensland through winter and summer.

  • PeachAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to February.

  • PineappleAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from September to February. Grown in Queensland all year, sweetest in spring and summer.

  • PlumAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from January to February.

  • RaspberryAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from January to February.

  • RockmelonAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from January to March.

  • StrawberryAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from November to January. Queensland and Western Australian crops carry the cooler months.

  • WatermelonAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to March.

  • GrapesJust starting

    New in the shops. Peaks February to April.

  • GrapefruitLast of the season

    The last weeks. Best was June to August.

Also around, not at their best avocado, banana, figs, lemon, orange, pear

Herbs 6 at their best or changing

  • BasilAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to March.

  • ChilliAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to April. Queensland growers keep chillies in the shops through winter.

  • ChiveAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from November to January.

  • DillAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from November to January.

  • MintAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from November to February.

  • OreganoAt its peak

    At its peak. Best from December to February.

Also around, not at their best coriander, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme

This guide follows the cooler south, which is where most Australians shop: Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Hobart. The tropical north runs on a different calendar. Queensland and Northern Territory mangoes, for example, start in September, and bananas, pineapples and chillies come from the north all year.

How we decide. Each item carries a score from 0 to 20 for every month of the year. We call 16 or more “at its peak” and 8 to 15 “around”. The scores were checked against Australian growers’ bodies, state government pages and the Sydney and Melbourne markets, and last reviewed on 9 October 2026. Seasons shift a few weeks with the weather and the state, so treat the edges as guides. Spotted something wrong? Tell us at [email protected].
General information only. These guides are not advice about how you should prepare, store or eat any food. Please follow the packaging and the official food-safety guidance from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and your state or territory food authority.