When to Plant Garden Cress in Canberra, Cold / Highland Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Canberra), not a live sensor.
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.
Jump to section
This Garden Cress 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.
- Planting window
- Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Days to harvest
- 25 days
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 10 cm apart
- Soil pH
- Not stated in the sources opened.
Garden cress is a fast, peppery salad green that is sown direct and cut young.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Cold / Highland
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar D
- Apr D
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep D
- Oct D
- Nov D
- 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 Cold / Highland zone right now, Garden Cress included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Garden Cress in Cold / Highland Australia
- Soil
- Rich, well drained soil with compost; roots are shallow (The Seed Collection).
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- Not stated in the sources opened.
- Sunlight
- Full sun or part shade, with at least 3 hours of sun; part shade in hot weather delays bolting (The Seed Collection, Succeed Heirlooms).
- Spacing
- 10cm apart, 15cm between rows
- Watering
- Keep the soil evenly moist and water at soil level to keep leaves dry (The Seed Collection).
- Good companions
- Lettuce, Onion, Tomato, Carrot, Radish
- Keep away from
- Broccoli, Cabbage
- 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.
Cold / Highland Growing Tips for Garden Cress
Recommended Varieties
- Extra Curled
Key Challenges
- Cold soil
Pro Tips
- Sow indoors in trays through winter
Pests and problems for Garden Cress in Cold / Highland
Harvesting Garden Cress
When ready: Microgreens at 1 to 2 weeks, leaf plants 15 to 20 cm tall from about 25 days (The Seed Collection, Succeed Heirlooms).
How to harvest: Snip with scissors above the growing point for cut-and-come-again (The Seed Collection).
Storing and preserving garden cress
How to keep it
- Fresh storage. Cut as needed; keep cut leaves in a perforated bag in the fridge (The Seed Collection). Keeps: 2-4 days.
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 Garden Cress
When do you plant garden cress 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): Mar to Oct
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Feb to May, Aug to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Apr to Sep
- Mediterranean (Perth): Mar to Oct
Can you grow garden cress all year round in Canberra?
No. In the Cold / Highland zone the planting months are Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Garden Cress in Canberra?
Sow direct in March and April, then September to November, once the soil is above 7C (The Seed Collection germination range). Avoid the coldest months. Months derived from the national advice, no highland source found.
What soil temperature do Garden Cress need?
Garden Cress germinate best when soil temperature is between 7°C and 15°C.
How do I know when Garden Cress are ready to harvest?
Microgreens at 1 to 2 weeks, leaf plants 15 to 20 cm tall from about 25 days (The Seed Collection, Succeed Heirlooms).
What are the best Garden Cress varieties for Canberra?
Recommended varieties for the Cold / Highland zone include: Extra Curled.
What grows well with Garden Cress?
Good companion plants for Garden Cress include: Lettuce, Onion, Tomato, Carrot, Radish.
Are garden cress salt tolerant?
Only a little. Garden cress 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 Cold / Highland zone, Canberra is its reference city.