When to Plant Tansy 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 Tansy 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, Aug to Oct
- Days to harvest
- about 10 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.5
Tansy is a tall, hardy perennial herb with ferny leaves and yellow button flowers.
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 S
- Apr S/T
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug S
- Sep S/T
- Oct T
- Nov -
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
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How to Grow Tansy in Arid / Semi-Arid Australia
- Soil
- Adaptable to poor, sandy, clay, or loamy well-draining soils
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun to partial shade, at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sun a day
- Spacing
- 20-60cm apart, 45cm between rows
- Watering
- Water young plants to establish them. Once established tansy copes with dry spells, so water only through long periods of heat and drought.
- Good companions
- Cucumber, Summer squash, Potato, Pumpkin, Apple
Arid / Semi-Arid Growing Tips for Tansy
Key Challenges
- Aphids: Sap-sucking, virus transmission
- Common Garden Snail: Introduced snail with a tan spiral shell
- Slugs: Soft-bodied shell-less molluscs that feed at night on seedlings and leafy vegetables
- Slugs and Snails: Eat young seedlings and tender leaves
Pro Tips
- Requires little to no fertiliser; thrives in poor soils, though a light compost layer in spring encourages fresh growth
- Apply a light organic straw mulch around plants to suppress weeds and maintain root zone moisture
- Cut back flower heads before seeds set to prevent aggressive self-seeding, and trim back dead stems in winter
Pests and problems for Tansy in Arid / Semi-Arid
- Powdery Mildew Space plants well, avoid overhead watering and cut back dense growth (derived, general knowledge, not on pages opened). Watch
- Common Garden Snail Common Garden Snail: Introduced snail with a tan spiral shell Watch
- Slugs Slugs: Soft-bodied shell-less molluscs that feed at night on seedlings and leafy vegetables Watch
- Aphids Aphids: Sap-sucking, virus transmission Watch
Harvesting Tansy
When ready: Harvest leaves as needed throughout summer, or pick yellow button flower heads when fully open in mid-to-late summer
How to harvest: Snip stems 5 to 10 cm above ground level using sharp shears
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 Tansy
When do you plant tansy in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Mar to Jun
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to Aug
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan, Mar to May, Aug to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan, Mar to Apr, Aug to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Aug to Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to Apr, Aug to Oct
- Mediterranean (Perth): Mar to May, Aug to Dec
Can you grow tansy all year round in Alice Springs?
No. In the Arid / Semi-Arid zone the planting months are Mar to Apr, Aug to Oct. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Tansy in Alice Springs?
Tansy copes with dry spells but prefers some moisture, so give it part shade and regular water, and contain its spreading roots in a pot or edged bed.
What soil temperature do Tansy need?
Tansy germinate best when soil temperature is between 18°C and 24°C.
How do I know when Tansy are ready to harvest?
Harvest leaves as needed throughout summer, or pick yellow button flower heads when fully open in mid-to-late summer
What grows well with Tansy?
Good companion plants for Tansy include: Cucumber, Summer squash, Potato, Pumpkin, Apple.
Are tansy salt tolerant?
Only a little. Tansy 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.