When to Plant Salad Burnet in Alice Springs, Arid / Semi-Arid Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Alice Springs), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Arid / Semi-Arid
In October the Arid / Semi-Arid zone normally runs 32°C by day and 16°C overnight, with about 19 mm of rain over 2 or 3 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was 1.9°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 10 postcodes, SILO.
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This Salad Burnet guide is written for the Arid / Semi-Arid zone, which takes in Alice Springs, Broken Hill and Port Augusta. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Mar to Apr, Sep to Oct
- Days to harvest
- 56 days
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 30 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.6–7.0
Salad burnet is a hardy perennial rosette herb, 30 to 60 cm, with ferny leaves that taste of cucumber, used young in salads, drinks and dressings; old leaves turn bitter (Succeed Heirlooms, The Seed Collection).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Arid / Semi-Arid
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar D
- Apr D
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep D
- Oct D
- Nov -
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
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How to Grow Salad Burnet in Arid / Semi-Arid Australia
- Soil
- Any well drained soil.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.6-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun or light shade (Succeed Heirlooms).
- Spacing
- 30cm apart, 30cm between rows
- Watering
- Regular water keeps leaves tender; drought turns them bitter.
- Good companions
- Thyme, Mint
Arid / Semi-Arid Growing Tips for Salad Burnet
Recommended Varieties
- Sanguisorba minor seed (Succeed Heirlooms, The Seed Collection)
Key Challenges
- Heat and drought
Pro Tips
- Sow direct 5 to 8 mm deep, 30 cm apart (Succeed Heirlooms).
- Pick young leaves; old ones are bitter (Succeed Heirlooms).
- Cut flower stems unless saving seed.
Pests and problems for Salad Burnet in Arid / Semi-Arid
Harvesting Salad Burnet
When ready: Young leaves 8 to 10 weeks from sowing (Succeed Heirlooms); 70 to 90 days (The Seed Collection).
How to harvest: Cut young outer leaves at the base; leave the centre to grow.
Storing and preserving salad burnet
How to keep it
- Fresh in the fridge. Wrap young leaves in a damp cloth in a bag. Keeps: 3 to 5 days.
- Herb vinegar. Steep leaves in white wine vinegar 2 weeks, strain. Keeps: 6 months.
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Salad Burnet
When do you plant salad burnet in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Jul
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Sep to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Sep to Nov
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to Apr, Sep to Oct
- Mediterranean (Perth): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
Can you grow salad burnet all year round in Alice Springs?
No. In the Arid / Semi-Arid zone the planting months are Mar to Apr, Sep to Oct. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Salad Burnet in Alice Springs?
You might be able to grow it here under the right conditions. No source gives arid months. Sow direct in March and April or September and October in light shade with regular water; the cucumber flavoured leaves turn bitter in heat. Months are our estimate from the subtropical window.
What soil temperature do Salad Burnet need?
Salad Burnet germinate best when soil temperature is between 10°C and 14°C.
How do I know when Salad Burnet are ready to harvest?
Young leaves 8 to 10 weeks from sowing (Succeed Heirlooms); 70 to 90 days (The Seed Collection).
What are the best Salad Burnet varieties for Alice Springs?
Recommended varieties for the Arid / Semi-Arid zone include: Sanguisorba minor seed (Succeed Heirlooms, The Seed Collection).
What grows well with Salad Burnet?
Good companion plants for Salad Burnet include: Thyme, Mint.
Are salad burnet salt tolerant?
Only a little. Salad burnet are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Arid / Semi-Arid zone, Alice Springs is its reference city.