Melbourne autumn balconies are not for the optimistic. The wind cuts harder than the temperature alone suggests, the rain comes sideways, and the sunlight angle drops fast through April and May. The plants that actually carry a balcony garden through to spring are a shorter list than the nursery websites would have you believe.

What is worth planting in May

Leafy greens are the obvious autumn project. Spinach, rocket, mizuna, mustard greens, kale, and the various Asian leafy crops handle Melbourne autumn temperatures well. They prefer the cooler weather to the heat of midsummer.

Herbs that handle cool weather include parsley, chervil, coriander, chives, and oregano. The Mediterranean herbs — basil, marjoram, sage — slow down and want to come inside or under cover.

Peas are an excellent autumn planting. Snow peas and snap peas crop through winter and into early spring. Climbing varieties produce more per square metre than dwarf varieties.

Broad beans are the long autumn project. Plant now for spring harvest. They are essentially indestructible at Melbourne winter temperatures and they fix nitrogen for whatever you plant after them.

What is not worth planting

Tomatoes, capsicums, eggplants, cucumbers, and the other warm-season fruiting crops are out. The light is wrong, the temperatures are wrong, and even if they survive they will not produce.

Tropical herbs — basil, lemongrass, kaffir lime — should be brought indoors or moved to the sunniest, most sheltered position you have. Many will lose leaves over winter regardless.

Bedding flowers are mostly out. The pansies and violas are the exception and are worth planting for autumn-through-spring colour. Most other flowering annuals want spring planting.

The container choices that matter

Container size matters more in autumn than in summer. Smaller containers freeze through faster and dry out faster in winter dry spells. The bigger containers buffer the temperature extremes and require less daily attention.

Drainage matters most in autumn. The summer drying that bailed out poorly-draining containers does not happen in winter. A container that drained adequately in February will produce root rot in June.

Wind exposure matters more than I expected my first season. Plants in protected positions outgrow plants in exposed positions by a substantial margin, even when the exposed positions get more light.

The watering shift

The watering schedule that worked in summer will kill plants in autumn. Reduce frequency, increase intervals, and check soil moisture before each watering rather than watering on a schedule.

Morning watering becomes more important. Evening watering in autumn leaves wet foliage overnight and encourages fungal disease.

The light angle

By late May, the Melbourne sun is low enough that balconies which were sunny in February are getting little direct light. The plants that need direct sun should be moved to the spots that still get it, which on most balconies is a narrow band along the railings.

The plants that tolerate lower light — most leafy greens, the cool-season herbs — can fill the spots that have lost direct sun.

A note on the established planting

If you have established perennials and herbs on the balcony, the autumn task is mostly protective rather than productive. Mulch the containers. Reduce watering. Bring tender plants indoors or under cover. Let the cool-season plants do their work and let the warm-season plants rest.

Spring will arrive faster than it feels right now.