When to Plant Breadfruit in Melbourne, Cool Temperate Guide
What this month normally looks like in Cool Temperate
In October the Cool Temperate zone normally runs 19°C by day and 8°C overnight, with about 67 mm of rain over 9 or 10 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -3.0°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 28 postcodes, SILO.
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This Breadfruit guide is written for the Cool Temperate zone, which takes in Melbourne, Hobart and Geelong. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 5.5–6.2
Breadfruit is a strictly tropical tree with a canopy about 20 m across, grown around Cairns for its starchy 1 to 2 kg fruit that is cooked as a vegetable (Queensland DPI&F).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Best Planting Window for Cool Temperate
Breadfruit is not recommended for Cool Temperate.
Strictly tropical (Queensland DPI&F); temperatures around 8 degrees make it suffer and extended cold kills it. Cool temperate winters are far below that.
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How to Grow Breadfruit in Cool Temperate Australia
- Soil
- Deep, free draining soil, mulched, never swampy (Queensland DPI&F).
- Salt
- Sensitive. Struggles with salty bore water or salty soil. Give it rainwater if you can.
- pH Range
- 5.5-6.2
- Sunlight
- Full sun for mature trees; young trees need protection from strong sun, wind and cold (Queensland DPI&F).
- Keep away from
- Septic systems, pipes and foundations within 20 m (Queensland DPI&F), Windy sites (Queensland DPI&F), Swampy ground (Queensland DPI&F)
Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Breadfruit
Key Challenges
- Cold
Pests and problems for Breadfruit in Cool Temperate
Harvesting Breadfruit
When ready: Mature fruit shows drops of white sap on a smoother skin (Queensland DPI&F; Morton). Fruit can be picked half grown to mature green for cooking as a starchy vegetable (Queensland DPI&F).
How to harvest: Pick early in the morning with a pole and catch the fruit; stems bleed sticky latex (Queensland DPI&F). Fruit ripens soft in a day or two unless held at 10 to 13 degrees (Queensland DPI&F).
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 Breadfruit
When do you plant breadfruit 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 Breadfruit in Melbourne?
Strictly tropical (Queensland DPI&F); temperatures around 8 degrees make it suffer and extended cold kills it. Cool temperate winters are far below that.
How do I know when Breadfruit are ready to harvest?
Mature fruit shows drops of white sap on a smoother skin (Queensland DPI&F; Morton). Fruit can be picked half grown to mature green for cooking as a starchy vegetable (Queensland DPI&F).
Are breadfruit salt tolerant?
No. Breadfruit 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 Cool Temperate zone, Melbourne is its reference city.