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No card, no catch.
- What to plant this week, for your suburb
- Frost and heat alerts
- Your garden: beds, plantings, jobs and harvests
- The community and the plant library
- A few Plant Doctor checks each month
Made in Australia · free to join
Know what to plant this week, right where you live
Patchmates is a garden app for Australian backyards. It reads your suburb's climate and tells you what to sow, what to plant out and when it'll be ready, then keeps your beds, jobs and harvests in one place.
No card needed. Works in your phone's browser, no download.
Why it's different
Printed planting charts split Australia into a handful of zones. Your garden sits in one suburb, with its own frosts, heat and rain. Patchmates plans for that one.
Live, updated every week
What to plant this week, from Darwin to Hobart
The same list members see, for four very different climates. Pick one and watch it change: Darwin plants by the wet and dry, Hobart by the frosts.
19 plants to sow or plant this week around Darwin.
Plant seedlings out
Sow straight into the ground
How it works
Your whole garden, planned in one app
Every morning
Your week, worked out for your suburb
Open the app to a new saying, the weather for your patch, what's ready to pick and the jobs that matter this week. Tips change with the forecast and the soil temperature.
Your garden
Map your beds the way they sit in your yard
Draw each bed to size, turn it to match, and see what's growing where. Tap a bed to plan it square by square, with spacing worked out for you.
Bed planner
Plant a bed that suits the season and the sun
Tap 'Design this bed for me' and Patchmates suggests a full layout for this time of year: crops, herbs and companion flowers that keep pests down, with a reason for every plant.
Plant Doctor
Something wrong? Take a photo
Photograph a plant to name it or check a problem. You get a few likely causes and what to check, never one certain answer, and a nudge to the community when it's serious.
Forecast
Hour by hour, with what it means for the garden
Rain timing, humidity, wind, UV and sun times for each day, plus frost and heat warnings in plain words: cover seedlings tonight, water deeply early.
Grow more of what you love eating.
Plant Doctor
Yellow leaves? Spots? Take a photo.
Plant Doctor names the plant and gives you a few likely causes, what to check and what to try first, starting with the gentlest fix.
- Up to five photos: the whole plant, the problem, the underside of a leaf
- Answers that know your area and the time of year
- Serious pests and diseases pointed to the right people
An AI suggestion, not a diagnosis. The same photo is never counted twice.
Bed planner
Companion planting, worked out for you
Tell Patchmates what you like to eat and how much time you have. It plans the whole bed for this season and your bed's sun, then explains every choice.
- Seedlings or seed, whichever suits this week
- Tall plants to the south so they don't shade the rest
- Marigolds, nasturtiums and alyssum to draw pests away and bring in helpers
Community
Gardeners from your part of the state
Ask a question, show off a harvest, or see how your neighbours are going with the same plants. Posts are grouped by state and region, so the advice suits your soil and your summers.
- Frost and heat alertsA heads-up before frost or a hot spell, with what to cover and when to water.
- Weekly streaks and gardener levelsA small nudge to get outside, and something to show for it.
- Harvest logLog what you pick and see your season add up.
Pricing
Free to grow. Plus when you want more.
Every feature is free while we're in beta. Prices are in Australian dollars and include GST.
Patchmates Plus
$49 a year
or $5.99 a month. Try it free for 7 days.
- Everything in Free, plus:
- More Plant Doctor checks
- The garden helper: ask anything about your plants
- Bed planner and “Design this bed for me”
- More gardens and beds
- No ads
Founding Patchmate: $99 once, Plus for life. First 500 members only.
Growing guides
When and how to plant, for Australian backyards
- 2 min readWatering a veggie patch through an Adelaide summerWater less often but more deeply, early in the day, under a thick layer of mulch. Here is how to keep a summer patch going through hot, dry spells.
- 2 min readYour first veggie bed: where, how big and what to plantStart with one bed in full sun, fill it with good soil, and plant a few things you love to eat. A simple plan for your first season.
- 5 min readComposting at home: hot, cold, bins and bokashiTurn kitchen scraps and garden waste into rich compost. Greens and browns, which system suits you, keeping it moist in a dry climate, and how to fix a smelly heap.
- How to grow tomatoThe most popular summer crop in Adelaide, planted once soil and nights are warm and picked from midsummer to autumn. Stake or cage plants and mulch well. Deep, regular watering is the key; dry-wet cycles cause blossom end rot and split fruit.
- How to grow garlicPlanted as cloves in autumn and harvested in late spring to early summer, garlic is easy and stores for months. Use Australian-grown planting garlic, not imported supermarket bulbs, which are often treated and may carry disease. Keep it weeded and stop watering once the leaves start to yellow.
- How to grow zucchiniThe easiest summer vegetable in Adelaide: one or two plants feed a family from midsummer to autumn. Sow or plant once the soil is warm. Pick fruit small, every day or two, before they become marrows.
Browse the plant libraryVisit the knowledge hubRead the blog
Questions
Good to know
What can I plant this week?
It depends on where you live. Patchmates works it out from 30 years of local climate records and the soil temperature, so the tropics, the coast, the ranges and the inland each get their own list. Try the list above, or join free to get it for your own suburb every week.
Is Patchmates free?
Yes. Your planting list, alerts, your garden and the community are free for good. Plus adds the garden helper, the bed planner and more Plant Doctor checks for $49 a year or $5.99 a month. Right now everything is free while we're in beta.
How is this different from a planting chart?
Printed charts use a handful of broad climate zones. Patchmates uses the climate where you live, adjusts for frost and heat, and keeps track of what you planted, when it should be ready and what needs doing.
Does it work where I live?
Yes, anywhere in Australia. The country is split into about 300 climate regions, each with its own planting times from 30 years of local records, and every suburb is matched to the nearest one in its state. Offshore islands such as Lord Howe, Norfolk and the Torres Strait aren't covered yet.
Do I need to install an app?
No. Patchmates runs in your phone's browser, and you can add it to your home screen so it opens like an app. It works on iPhone, Android and computers.
How does Plant Doctor work?
Take up to five photos. Patchmates identifies the plant and suggests a few likely causes with what to check and try, starting with the gentlest fix. It's a suggestion, not a diagnosis, so serious pests or diseases are pointed to the right authority.
Can I plan companion planting?
Yes. The bed planner suggests crops, herbs and flowers that grow well together for the season and your bed's sun, and explains each choice, for example marigolds and nasturtiums to draw pests away from tomatoes.
What happens to my data?
Your garden is yours. Photos have location data removed, you can download everything, and deleting your account deletes your data. Read the privacy policy for the details.
Your patch, this week, sorted
Join free in a minute. Tell us your suburb and Patchmates does the rest.