When to Plant Tatsoi 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 Tatsoi 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 Aug
- Days to harvest
- 45 days
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 20 cm apart
Tatsoi is a compact Asian green that grows as a flat rosette of dark, spoon shaped leaves with a mild mustard flavour. It is very cold tolerant, grows fast and can be picked as baby leaf in about 3 weeks.
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 D
- Jun D
- Jul D
- Aug D
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
One email a week with what is worth planting in the Arid / Semi-Arid zone right now, Tatsoi included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Tatsoi in Arid / Semi-Arid Australia
- Soil
- Free draining soil with plenty of organic matter. Dig in well rotted manure or compost a few weeks before sowing (Succeed Heirlooms). Use a raised bed or pot if the soil is clay or compacted.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- Sunlight
- Full sun or light shade (Succeed Heirlooms, The Seed Collection).
- Spacing
- 20cm apart, 40cm between rows
- Watering
- Keep the soil moist and well watered (The Seed Collection). Mulch to hold the moisture in.
- Good companions
- Nasturtium, Dwarf Beans, Onion, Cucumber, Beetroot
- Keep away from
- Tomato, Climbing beans, Strawberry, Other brassicas in the same bed next season
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before brassicas go back in. The cabbage family is hungry for nitrogen and shares club root and other soil diseases.
Arid / Semi-Arid Growing Tips for Tatsoi
Recommended Varieties
- Tatsoi
Key Challenges
- Heat and dry wind
- Keeping the water steady
- Aphids
Pro Tips
- Mulch well
- Give shade on hot afternoons
- Water deeply and evenly
Pests and problems for Tatsoi in Arid / Semi-Arid
- Common Garden Snail Watch
- Slugs Watch
- Clubroot Rotate brassicas, lime acid soil towards a pH of about 7 and keep tools and soil from infected beds away from clean ones. Watch
- White Blister Space plants for airflow, water in the morning at the base and rotate away from other brassicas. Watch
- Aphids Aphids Watch
Harvesting Tatsoi
When ready: Pick baby leaf from about 21 days, or let the rosette fill out for 6 to 9 weeks (The Seed Collection, Succeed Heirlooms).
How to harvest: Pick the outer leaves first and cut as close to the base of the leaf stalk as you can, to protect the growing point (Succeed Heirlooms). Or cut the whole rosette.
Storing and preserving tatsoi
How to keep it
- Eat fresh. Tatsoi is best picked and eaten fresh in salads, stir fries and hot pots (Succeed Heirlooms). No Australian preserving source was read.
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 Tatsoi
When do you plant tatsoi in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Aug
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to Sep
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan to Mar, Sep to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan to Feb, Sep to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jan to Feb, Oct to Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to Aug
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jan to Mar, Sep to Dec
Can you grow tatsoi all year round in Alice Springs?
No. In the Arid / Semi-Arid zone the planting months are Mar to Aug. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Tatsoi in Alice Springs?
No arid source was found. We have used the Succeed Heirlooms subtropical and frost free window, trimmed to end in August before the heat. Grow it in the cooler months with steady water and shade on hot afternoons.
What soil temperature do Tatsoi need?
Tatsoi germinate best when soil temperature is between 12°C and 28°C.
How do I know when Tatsoi are ready to harvest?
Pick baby leaf from about 21 days, or let the rosette fill out for 6 to 9 weeks (The Seed Collection, Succeed Heirlooms).
What are the best Tatsoi varieties for Alice Springs?
Recommended varieties for the Arid / Semi-Arid zone include: Tatsoi.
What grows well with Tatsoi?
Good companion plants for Tatsoi include: Nasturtium, Dwarf Beans, Onion, Cucumber, Beetroot.
Are tatsoi salt tolerant?
Only a little. Tatsoi 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.