Fruiting crops
Luffa
Young fruit for eating; fully mature fruit for drying into sponges.
Sowing & planting windows in Australia
Planting timing varies by broad Australian gardening zone. Local weather, unusual seasons and your garden’s microclimate can shift timing.
Cool
Sow · Oct–Dec
Core months: October, November, December
Possible / shoulder months: September
Temperate
Sow · Jan–Feb, Sep–Dec
Core months: January, February, September, October, November, December
Possible / shoulder months: August
Subtropical
Sow · Jan, Aug–Dec
Core months: January, August, September, October, November, December
Possible / shoulder months: February, March, July
Tropical
Sow · Mar–Jun
Core months: March, April, May, June
Possible / shoulder months: February, July, August, September
Arid
Sow · Sep–Oct
Core months: September, October
Possible / shoulder months: January, November, December
Getting started
Start seed in warmth or sow into warm soil after cold risk has passed; harden seedlings before planting out.
The right conditions
Choose full sun, fertile free-draining soil and reliable moisture.
As it grows
Train the vigorous vines over a very strong trellis, water deeply in warm weather and allow good airflow around foliage.
Ready to harvest
Pick young for eating or leave fully mature to dry for sponges.
Plant guidance: Desk-reviewed; not field-tested. Planting windows are a guide rather than a rule.