When to Plant Caraway in Melbourne, Cool Temperate Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Melbourne), not a live sensor.
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 Caraway 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.
- Planting window
- Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Days to harvest
- about 12 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Spacing
- 25 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.5–7.0
Caraway is a hardy biennial seed herb in the Carrot family. It grows leaves and an edible taproot in the first season and flowers and sets seed in the second summer after a winter (Happy Valley, The Seed Collection).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Cool Temperate
- 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 Cool Temperate zone right now, Caraway included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Caraway in Cool Temperate Australia
- Soil
- Well drained fertile soil (Green Harvest), kept moist (The Seed Collection).
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.5-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun to partial shade (Eden Seeds, Green Harvest).
- Spacing
- 25cm apart, 45cm between rows
- Watering
- Even watering (Green Harvest).
- Good companions
- Peas
Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Caraway
Key Challenges
- Germination slow below 18C
Pro Tips
- Sow once soil warms in spring
- Let second year flowers feed beneficial insects
Pests and problems for Caraway in Cool Temperate
Harvesting Caraway
When ready: Leaves from 10 to 12 weeks (Happy Valley). Seed ripens about a month after flowering, when plump and light brown (Happy Valley) or rich deep brown (Green Harvest).
How to harvest: Cut whole seed heads, hang upside down in a paper bag, then thresh (Green Harvest, Happy Valley). Dig roots in the first autumn or winter (The Seed Collection).
Storing and preserving caraway
How to keep it
- Drying seed. Hang seed heads in a paper bag with holes until the seed drops (NCHFP). Keeps: 1 to 3 years airtight.
- Freezing leaves. Chop and freeze in ice cube trays (NCHFP). Keeps: 6 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 Caraway
When do you plant caraway in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Jul
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to Aug
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Mar to May, Sep to Oct
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Mar, Sep to Nov
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to May, Sep to Oct
- Mediterranean (Perth): Mar to May, Sep to Oct
Can you grow caraway all year round in Melbourne?
No. In the Cool Temperate 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 Caraway in Melbourne?
Eden Seeds gives September to November or March to April for cold climates. Green Harvest says it prefers cooler climates. Germination is slow and can be erratic, best at about 21C, so sow when the soil has warmed in spring or while it is still warm in early autumn (Green Harvest).
What soil temperature do Caraway need?
Caraway germinate best when soil temperature is between 18°C and 22°C.
How do I know when Caraway are ready to harvest?
Leaves from 10 to 12 weeks (Happy Valley). Seed ripens about a month after flowering, when plump and light brown (Happy Valley) or rich deep brown (Green Harvest).
What grows well with Caraway?
Good companion plants for Caraway include: Peas.
Are caraway salt tolerant?
Only a little. Caraway 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 Cool Temperate zone, Melbourne is its reference city.