I live in a temperate zone, well, bloody desert at the moment. I think there is less than 10% usable water left in the dams. Hopefully, winter comes soon. It is still bloody warm, despite us being a month into autumn. We get mostly winter rains, but the plants I grow shrug off a bit of water. I'm no new hand, I'm testing early under lights to check my soil mix. I.e. what the other seedlings will get later on. I might put out a few seedlings into straight 12/12 outdoors after tests are completed. Over winter and autumn, the soil is always pleasantly moist here. I can cut a branch of virtually anything, stick it in the soil, forget about it, and it will grow. I'm the lowest house next to a river, all the houses upstreet from me, have poor clay soil. I have rich black soil as water carried all the good stuff down here long before the houses were built. But I am trying store bought soil and compost for a change, just to see for myself what influence/edge it has. I'm happy as long as it stays organic.
Oh and I just lit a Namibian thorn wood fire in my indoor braai, for some Kalahari steaks, think I'll have chips and mushroom sauce with.