When to Plant Corn Salad 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 Corn Salad 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 May, Aug to Sep
- Days to harvest
- 45 days
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.0
Valerianella locusta. Frost-hardy salad rosettes; also called lamb's lettuce. Sow directly in moist soil during cool weather.
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 D
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug D
- Sep D
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
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How to Grow Corn Salad in Cool Temperate Australia
- Soil
- Moist, fertile, free-draining sandy loam
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun to partial shade, at least 4 to 6 hours of sun a day
- Spacing
- 10-20cm apart, 15cm between rows
- Watering
- Keep the soil moist but never soggy or dry. Water deeply in the early morning or late afternoon and keep water off the leaves.
- Good companions
- Lettuce, Onion, Spinach
- Grow before it
- Leafy greens and brassicas (Lettuce, Silverbeet, Broccoli)
- Grow after it
- Roots and alliums (Carrot, Beetroot, Onion)
Give the bed 3 turns before other fruiting crops go back in. Corn, okra and sunflower are heavy feeders that sit with the fruiting crops in the cycle.
Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Corn Salad
Recommended Varieties
- Verte de Cambrai: Hardy cold-tolerant variety producing small, dark green rosettes with mild nutty flavour
- Large Dutch (Open pollinated)
Key Challenges
- Aphids: Sap-sucking, virus transmission
- Common Garden Snail: Introduced snail with a tan spiral shell
- Slugs: Soft-bodied shell-less molluscs that feed at night on seedlings and leafy vegetables
- Slugs and Snails: Eat young seedlings and tender leaves
Pro Tips
- Work well-rotted compost into soil prior to planting; light feeder that requires minimal added fertiliser during growth
- Apply a fine organic mulch between rows to preserve soil moisture and suppress weeds
Pests and problems for Corn Salad in Cool Temperate
- Damping Off Use clean seed-raising mix and avoid overwatering. Watch
- Downy Mildew Give correct spacing, rotate beds and water at the base. Watch
- Common Garden Snail Common Garden Snail: Introduced snail with a tan spiral shell Watch
- Slugs Slugs: Soft-bodied shell-less molluscs that feed at night on seedlings and leafy vegetables Watch
- Aphids Aphids: Sap-sucking, virus transmission Watch
Harvesting Corn Salad
When ready: Rosettes form 8 to 12 tender spoon-shaped leaves, around 45 to 60 days after sowing
How to harvest: Snip individual outer leaves or cut the entire rosette at ground level with a sharp knife
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 Corn Salad
When do you plant corn salad in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): not recommended
- Subtropical (Brisbane): May to Jul
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Apr to May, Aug to Sep
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Mar to May, Aug to Sep
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Mar to May, Aug to Sep
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Apr to May, Aug
- Mediterranean (Perth): Apr to May, Aug to Sep
Can you grow corn salad all year round in Melbourne?
No. In the Cool Temperate zone the planting months are Mar to May, Aug to Sep. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Corn Salad in Melbourne?
Sow late summer to mid-autumn.
What soil temperature do Corn Salad need?
Corn Salad germinate best when soil temperature is between 10°C and 18°C.
How do I know when Corn Salad are ready to harvest?
Rosettes form 8 to 12 tender spoon-shaped leaves, around 45 to 60 days after sowing
What are the best Corn Salad varieties for Melbourne?
Recommended varieties for the Cool Temperate zone include: Verte de Cambrai: Hardy cold-tolerant variety producing small, dark green rosettes with mild nutty flavour, Large Dutch (Open pollinated).
What grows well with Corn Salad?
Good companion plants for Corn Salad include: Lettuce, Onion, Spinach.
Are corn salad salt tolerant?
Only a little. Corn salad 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.