When to Plant Pine Nut 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 Pine Nut 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
- Jun to Aug
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil pH
- 5.5–6.5
The stone pine, an umbrella shaped evergreen from Spain and Portugal that grows 12 to 20 m and gives the pine nuts of pesto (HortFlora, Daleys).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Best Planting Window for Cold / Highland
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun P
- Jul P
- Aug P
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
P = Planting window
Tolerates minus 10 degrees when dormant (Plants For A Future) and is naturalising near Berridale in the Snowy Monaro (AVH). Harvest months from Daleys. No Australian source read gives a planting month, so none is listed; Daleys and Diggers sell potted trees. Stone pine self seeds: it is naturalising near Berridale in NSW and at Learmonth in Victoria, and is listed as alien in Western Australia (AVH, HortFlora, FloraBase). Pull seedlings and do not plant near bushland.
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How to Grow Pine Nut in Cold / Highland Australia
- Soil
- Light well drained sandy loam, even rocky or chalky ground; never waterlogged (Daleys, Plants For A Future).
- Salt
- Sensitive. Struggles with salty bore water or salty soil. Give it rainwater if you can.
- pH Range
- 5.5-6.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun; tolerates part shade when young (Daleys, Good Organic Gardening).
- Keep away from
- Bushland edges, it self seeds, Waterlogged ground, Humid coastal sites in the north
Cold / Highland Growing Tips for Pine Nut
Recommended Varieties
- Seedling stone pine
Key Challenges
- Slow growth
- Self seeding
Pro Tips
- Sunny sheltered spot
Harvesting Pine Nut
When ready: Ripe cones, 10 to 14 cm, fall from the tree in their third year (HortFlora, Good Organic Gardening).
How to harvest: Collect fallen cones, keep them in a warm dry place until they open, shake out the seeds and crack off the brown shell (Good Organic Gardening).
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 Pine Nut
When do you plant pine nut in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Jun to Aug
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Jun to Aug
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jun to Aug
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jun to Aug
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jun to Aug
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Jun to Aug
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jun to Aug
When should I plant Pine Nut in Canberra?
Tolerates minus 10 degrees when dormant (Plants For A Future) and is naturalising near Berridale in the Snowy Monaro (AVH). Harvest months from Daleys. No Australian source read gives a planting month, so none is listed; Daleys and Diggers sell potted trees. Stone pine self seeds: it is naturalising near Berridale in NSW and at Learmonth in Victoria, and is listed as alien in Western Australia (AVH, HortFlora, FloraBase). Pull seedlings and do not plant near bushland.
How do I know when Pine Nut are ready to harvest?
Ripe cones, 10 to 14 cm, fall from the tree in their third year (HortFlora, Good Organic Gardening).
What are the best Pine Nut varieties for Canberra?
Recommended varieties for the Cold / Highland zone include: Seedling stone pine.
Are pine nut salt tolerant?
No. Pine nut are salt-sensitive, one of the more sensitive veggies. Use rainwater if your bore water is salty, or grow them in a raised bed of fresh mix if your soil is.
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.