When to Plant Shallots 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 Shallots 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 Jun, Aug to Oct
- Days to harvest
- about 15 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 20 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.0–6.5
Shallots are a mild, easy bulb onion that grows as a clump, like garlic. You plant small bulblets in the cool months, keep a few from each harvest and replant them. They take about 3 to 4 months.
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 S/D
- Apr S/T/D
- May S/T/D
- Jun T/D
- Jul -
- Aug ✓
- 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 Cold / Highland zone right now, Shallots included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Shallots in Cold / Highland Australia
- Soil
- Rich, well drained loam with low nitrogen. Avoid fresh manure (Garden Express).
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.0-6.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun (Garden Express).
- Spacing
- 20cm apart
- Watering
- Keep the soil evenly moist, then stop watering once the bulbs mature (Seeds of Plenty).
- Good companions
- Lettuce, Carrot, Beetroot, Borage, Silverbeet
- Keep away from
- Peas, Beans
- Grow before it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
- Grow after it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
Give the bed 3 turns before alliums go back in. Onion, garlic and leek like a lean bed and clean up after the heavy feeders.
Cold / Highland Growing Tips for Shallots
Key Challenges
- Hard frost
- Wet cold soil
- Short season
Pro Tips
- Plant in spring
- Use well drained soil
- Start with a few bulblets
Pests and problems for Shallots in Cold / Highland
Harvesting Shallots
When ready: Lift when the tops fall over (Garden Express).
How to harvest: Lift the clump, shake off the soil and cure the bulbs in full sun for about 2 weeks (Seed Collection).
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 Shallots
When do you plant shallots in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Mar to Aug
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Apr to Aug
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Mar to Jun
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Mar to Jun
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Mar to Jun, Aug to Oct
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Jan to Mar, Sep to Dec
- Mediterranean (Perth): Mar to Jun
Can you grow shallots all year round in Canberra?
No. In the Cold / Highland zone the planting months are Mar to Jun, Aug to Oct. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Shallots in Canberra?
Gardenate gives one calendar for cool and mountain areas. The Seed Collection says to plant in spring where heavy frost or snow is expected, so we have added August to October. Treat the dates as a starting point.
What soil temperature do Shallots need?
Shallots germinate best when soil temperature is between 8°C and 30°C.
How do I know when Shallots are ready to harvest?
Lift when the tops fall over (Garden Express).
What grows well with Shallots?
Good companion plants for Shallots include: Lettuce, Carrot, Beetroot, Borage, Silverbeet.
Are shallots salt tolerant?
Only a little. Shallots 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.