When to Plant Malabar Spinach 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.
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This Malabar Spinach 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.
- Days to harvest
- about 9 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 20 cm apart
Malabar spinach (Ceylon spinach) is a fast climbing vine with thick glossy leaves that thrives in heat and humidity when true spinach will not grow (Green Harvest).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Cold / Highland
Malabar Spinach is not recommended for Cold / Highland.
It is frost tender and needs 24 to 30C soil to germinate and a long warm season to crop (The Seed Collection, Green Harvest). No source lists it for highland areas, and the summer is too short and cool for an outdoor crop. A heated glasshouse is the only option.
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
One email a week with what is worth planting in the Cold / Highland zone right now, Malabar Spinach included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Malabar Spinach in Cold / Highland Australia
- Soil
- Rich, moist, well drained soil with compost (Green Harvest, The Seed Collection).
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 5.5-6.7 (Green Harvest); Daleys gives 5.5 to 8.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun, 6 or more hours; semi-shade in the hottest areas (The Seed Collection, Green Harvest).
- Spacing
- 20cm apart, 60cm between rows
- Watering
- Evenly moist; water at the base (The Seed Collection).
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before leafy greens go back in. Leaf crops want the nitrogen the legumes left behind.
Cold / Highland Growing Tips for Malabar Spinach
Key Challenges
- Frost and cool summer
Pro Tips
- Heated glasshouse only
Pests and problems for Malabar Spinach in Cold / Highland
Harvesting Malabar Spinach
When ready: Leaves large enough to pick, from about 60 days (The Seed Collection).
How to harvest: Pinch leaves and shoot tips; tip-pruning keeps it bushy (The Seed Collection, Green Harvest).
Storing and preserving malabar spinach
How to keep it
- Blanching and freezing. Blanch, cool, drain and freeze (The Seed Collection). Keeps: 6-12 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 Malabar Spinach
When do you plant malabar spinach in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): all year
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Jan to Mar, Aug to Dec
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan to Feb, Sep to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan, Sep to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Jan to Feb, Aug to Dec
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jan to Feb, Sep to Dec
When should I plant Malabar Spinach in Canberra?
It is frost tender and needs 24 to 30C soil to germinate and a long warm season to crop (The Seed Collection, Green Harvest). No source lists it for highland areas, and the summer is too short and cool for an outdoor crop. A heated glasshouse is the only option.
What soil temperature do Malabar Spinach need?
Malabar Spinach germinate best when soil temperature is between 22°C and 30°C.
How do I know when Malabar Spinach are ready to harvest?
Leaves large enough to pick, from about 60 days (The Seed Collection).
Are malabar spinach salt tolerant?
Only a little. Malabar spinach 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.