When to Plant Coconut in Canberra, Cold / Highland Guide
What this month normally looks like in Cold / Highland
In October the Cold / Highland zone normally runs 20°C by day and 7°C overnight, with about 58 mm of rain over 7 or 8 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -6.4°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 15 postcodes, SILO.
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This Coconut guide is written for the Cold / Highland zone, which takes in Canberra, Cooma and Bright. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 5.5–8.0
Coconut is the tropical palm behind drinking nuts, coconut cream and desiccated coconut.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Best Planting Window for Cold / Highland
Coconut is not recommended for Cold / Highland.
Frost kills it (growables).
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How to Grow Coconut in Cold / Highland Australia
- Soil
- Perfect drainage, sand or volcanic soil (Daleys). Any well drained soil, pH 5.5 to 8.0, tolerates brackish soil and salt spray; mound in low ground (growables).
- Salt
- Moderately tolerant. Handles slightly salty water better than most veggies.
- pH Range
- 5.5-8.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun (Daleys).
- Good companions
- Sweet Potato, Ginger, Banana, Chilli peppers, Turmeric
- Keep away from
- Paths, driveways, roofs and play areas (falling nuts, growables), Waterways and bushland (growables, invasive warning)
Cold / Highland Growing Tips for Coconut
Recommended Varieties
- Dwarf Malay Gold
- Dwarf Malay Bronze
- Dwarf Green (all three worth trying to Coffs Harbour, Daleys)
- Dwarf Yellow and Malay Red (best in the tropics, Daleys)
Key Challenges
- Frost
Pro Tips
- Not recommended
Harvesting Coconut
When ready: Drinking nuts at about 7 months; nuts for flesh and desiccated coconut fully ripe (growables).
How to harvest: Cut bunches with a knife on a long pole from the ground; no climbing spikes (growables). Dwarf palms keep nuts within reach.
Storing and preserving coconut
How to keep it
- freezing. Shred the meat or put it through a food chopper, pack, cover with coconut liquid if desired, leave headspace, seal and freeze (NCHFP). Keeps: Up to 12 months in a sealed container (NCHFP general guidance).
- dehydrating. Grate fully ripe flesh and dry it as desiccated coconut (growables says ripe nuts are used for this); no home method figure found. Keeps: No sourced figure.
- fresh_storage. Drinking nuts are picked at about 7 months (growables). Keep whole nuts cool and dry. Keeps: No sourced figure for whole nuts.
What coconut costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.
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 Coconut
When do you plant coconut in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Jan to Mar, Nov to Dec
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Jan to Feb, Nov to Dec
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): not recommended
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): not recommended
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): not recommended
- Mediterranean (Perth): not recommended
When should I plant Coconut in Canberra?
Frost kills it (growables).
How do I know when Coconut are ready to harvest?
Drinking nuts at about 7 months; nuts for flesh and desiccated coconut fully ripe (growables).
What are the best Coconut varieties for Canberra?
Recommended varieties for the Cold / Highland zone include: Dwarf Malay Gold, Dwarf Malay Bronze, Dwarf Green (all three worth trying to Coffs Harbour, Daleys), Dwarf Yellow and Malay Red (best in the tropics, Daleys).
What grows well with Coconut?
Good companion plants for Coconut include: Sweet Potato, Ginger, Banana, Chilli peppers, Turmeric.
Are coconut salt tolerant?
Fairly. Coconut are moderately tolerant of salt and handle slightly salty water better than most veggies.
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 Cold / Highland zone, Canberra is its reference city.