El Niño Garden Prep Checklist
Updated September 2026
Every job worth doing before the heat arrives, in the order to do them. Free, printable, no sign-up needed.
Tick it off on screen, or print it and stick it on the shed door. Everything here is on the full El Niño garden guide.
Want this as a PDF plus region updates as the season unfolds?
We will email the checklist and one short email a month with what to plant in your region. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
Soil and mulch
- Dig compost or aged manure into every bed before planting. Organic matter holds water.
- Mulch every bed to 75 to 100mm: sugar cane, pea straw, lucerne or wood chip. Keep it off stems.
- On sandy or water-repellent soil, apply a soil wetting agent and dig in clay or bentonite once.
- Top up mulch on fruit trees out to the drip line.
Water setup
- Lay drip line or soaker hose under the mulch in every bed.
- Put the drip on a tap timer set for before dawn, twice a week, deep.
- Build or convert one wicking bed for thirsty crops (cucumber, salad greens, corn).
- Bury an olla or two next to the plants that need the most water.
- Check the rain tank, pump and first-flush diverter. Clean the tank inlet screen.
- Set up a laundry or shower bucket for ornamentals and fruit trees (check your state greywater rules).
- Group plants by water need so one line does not water rosemary to keep lettuce alive.
- Write your priority order for restrictions: fruit trees and perennials first, then fruiting crops, then the rest.
Planting
- Check your frost and heat dates by postcode in the app before you plant.
- Plant heat-lovers early: chilli, capsicum, eggplant, sweet potato, okra, beans, pumpkin, melons, cherry tomatoes.
- Choose heat-set and cherry tomato varieties over big beefsteaks.
- Swap lettuce and spinach for silverbeet, warrigal greens, amaranth or Ceylon spinach.
- Hold broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, coriander and English spinach for an autumn sowing.
- Only plant sweet corn and cucumber if they are on a wicking bed or a tank you trust.
- Harden seedlings off for a week before they go in.
- Plant in the evening or on a cloudy day. Water the hole first, then again after.
- Shade new transplants for three or four days with an upturned pot or shade cloth.
Heat protection
- Buy 30 to 50 percent shade cloth now, plus stakes or hoops to hold it off the foliage.
- Work out where pots will go on 38C-plus days: east side of the house or under a tree.
- Wrap dark pots in hessian or shade cloth so roots do not cook.
- Skip high-nitrogen feeds once hot weather starts. Feed when it breaks.
- Water deeply the evening before any forecast hot day, then early the next morning.
Bushfire prep
- Clear leaf litter, dead growth and dry grass within 20 metres of the house. Keep lawn short.
- Swap straw or bark mulch for gravel or pebbles within one to two metres of buildings.
- Clean gutters now and again in November.
- Prune low branches and anything overhanging the roof.
- Move firewood, LPG bottles and timber away from the house.
- Fit a firefighting outlet and long hose to the rain tank. Test the pump without mains power.
- Plant low-flammability species near the house: succulents, high-moisture natives, lawn, deciduous fruit trees.
- Write your bushfire plan with your state fire service and know your trigger to leave.
Chickens, bees and pets
- Deep shade over the run, and a second water container in the shade.
- Frozen fruit, a shallow paddling tray or electrolytes ready for 38C days.
- A bee water station within 50 metres of the hive with pebbles or sticks to stand on.
- Check the coop has cross-ventilation. Heat kills chickens faster than cold.
Ongoing
- Check mulch depth and top up where it has thinned.
- Check drip emitters are running and not blocked.
- Log rain and tank levels so you know what you have before restrictions change.
- Watch the Bureau's monthly ENSO outlook and adjust plantings as the season moves.
- Sow salad greens and coriander again in late February for autumn.
Planting Season, plantingseason.com.au. Free garden planner tuned to 23 Australian climate regions. El Niño garden guide: plantingseason.com.au/grow/guides/el-nino-garden-guide/
Let the app keep the list for you
The free Planting Season app turns what you are growing into a daily task list with watering reminders per plant. Pro adds tank tracking, a weather-aware watering planner and a daily brief. Try Pro free for 14 days, no card needed.
Open the App →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get this checklist as a PDF?
Use the Print button on the page and choose Save as PDF, or enter your email above and we will send it to you along with a monthly what-to-plant email for your region.
Is the checklist different for each region?
The jobs are the same everywhere. The timing and the crop choices change. Use the region guides linked below for South East Queensland, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, or open the app for your exact climate region.
Can the app remind me of these jobs?
Yes. The free app builds a daily task list from what you are growing, with watering reminders per plant. Pro adds tank and rainfall tracking, a weather-aware watering planner that pauses reminders when rain is forecast, and a daily brief.