October Gardening Guide for the Sunshine Coast

Your local tips for a thriving lawn, lush garden beds, and a bumper harvest this spring

October on the Sunshine Coast is when the season truly bursts to life. Days are longer, the air is warm and humid, and everything seems to grow faster — weeds included! It’s the perfect time to get outdoors, refresh your garden, and prepare for the hotter months ahead.

Here’s your Sunshine Coast Gardening To-Do List for October from the team at Caloundra Produce & Landscape Supplies — packed with local know-how, product tips, and plant suggestions that suit our coastal climate perfectly.

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The Flower Garden: Colour, Pollinators & Coastal Toughness

If you want to make your garden pop this spring while supporting local pollinators, choose varieties that handle heat and humidity well. Try planting:

• Alyssum – perfect groundcover with sweet honey-scented flowers.
• Celosia & Zinnia – thrive in full sun and love coastal heat.
• Marigolds & Nasturtiums – repel garden pests naturally while adding vibrant colour.
• Lobelia, Petunias & Verbena – ideal for hanging baskets and borders.
• Sunflowers – striking, fast-growing, and great for attracting bees.
• Snapdragons & Dianthus – enjoy cooler nights early in the month before humidity peaks.

Local Tip: Choose seedlings hardened for coastal conditions. Plants from cooler regions often struggle with our salt air and sandy soils. A dose of Seasol after planting will help them establish faster.

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Mulching: Lock in Moisture & Keep Weeds Out

Mulching is essential on the Sunshine Coast, especially before the wet season hits. It helps regulate soil temperature, improves water retention, and suppresses fast-growing summer weeds.

Top up your garden beds with 7–10 cm of mulch, keeping it clear of stems and trunks.

Recommended Mulches:

• Cypress Mulch or Cypress Chip – termite-resistant, long-lasting, and naturally fragrant.
• Tea Tree Mulch – adds organic matter and deters pests.
• Sugar Cane Mulch – fantastic for veggie gardens, breaks down quickly to enrich the soil.
• Hoop Pine Mulch – excellent for decorative beds and pathways.

Local Tip: Always water the soil well before mulching — dry soil won’t rehydrate easily once covered.

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Watering & Moisture Management

The Sunshine Coast often swings between downpours and dry spells this time of year, so smart watering makes all the difference.

Three ways to make every drop count:

1. Use a wetting agent:
   Sandy coastal soils are notoriously water-repellent. Apply a product like LawnPride Hydramaxx or Searles Penetraid 7kg to improve soil infiltration and moisture retention.
2. Water early:
   The best time to water is early morning (5–8 am). You’ll lose less moisture to evaporation and reduce the risk of fungal disease.
3. Check irrigation systems:
   Make sure drippers and sprayers aren’t blocked. Adjust timers for longer, deeper watering sessions rather than frequent light ones — this encourages deeper roots.

Local Tip: Install a rainwater diverter or tank if you can. Spring storms fill them fast and help cut mains water use heading into summer.

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Lawn Maintenance: Get It Green, Strong & Summer-Ready

Spring is prime time to give your lawn some TLC before the summer heat.

Your October lawn checklist:
✅ Aerate compacted areas to allow air and nutrients to reach the roots.
✅ Top dress with a sandy soil mix to smooth uneven spots and encourage new growth. Check Out our Premium Top-Dressing Sand Here
✅ Fertilise with a slow-release, high-nitrogen lawn fertiliser like LawnPride Maintain 26-2-9 to promote lush green colour and strong root systems.
✅ Water deeply, not often — once or twice a week is usually enough.

Mowing Tip: Raise your mower height slightly — longer blades protect roots from heat stress and conserve soil moisture.

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The Edible Garden: Fresh Harvests for Warmer Days

October is a peak planting month for warm-season crops on the Sunshine Coast. The soil’s warm, the days are long, and growth is rapid.

Plant now:

• Pumpkin, Zucchini, Cucumber, Sweet Corn, Eggplant, Capsicum, and Watermelon
• Tomatoes – thrive year-round here. Pair with basil and parsley to improve flavour and deter pests naturally.
• Herbs – basil, mint, oregano, thyme, and chives will all flourish.
• Strawberries & Passionfruit – perfect for coastal conditions; just ensure good drainage.
• Citrus & Macadamias – feed with a quality organic citrus food and mulch well.

🌿 Local Tip: Coastal soils can be sandy and nutrient-poor. Improve them with Searles 5IN1 Organic Fertiliser or Rocky Point Active Grow Soil Improver before planting.

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Pest & Weed Watch

With warmer weather, lawn grubs, aphids, and fungal issues can appear almost overnight.

Keep an eye out for:

• Lawn Armyworm / Lawn Grubs – treat early with LawnPride Acelepryn GR
• Fungal spots or yellowing patches – apply LawnPride Kelp Xtra or Mancozeb fungicide.
• Weeds like Clover, Bindii & Oxalis – spot treat with Bow & Arrow Herbicide before they spread.

🌿 Local Tip: Prevention beats cure — healthy, well-fed lawns and gardens naturally resist pests and diseases better.

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Final Thoughts:

October on the Sunshine Coast is your golden window to set up for a thriving summer garden.
Feed, mulch, water smartly, and enjoy the explosion of life that spring brings to our region.

If you need mulch, fertiliser, wetting agents, or herbicides — or just some friendly advice — the team at Caloundra Produce & Landscape Supplies is here to help.

👉 Shop in-store or online: www.caloundraproduce.com.au
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