When to Plant Garden Cress 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 Garden Cress 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
- Feb to May, Aug to Nov
- Days to harvest
- 25 days
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 10 cm apart
- Soil pH
- Not stated in the sources opened.
Garden cress is a fast, peppery salad green that is sown direct and cut young.
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 D
- Mar D
- Apr D
- May D
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug D
- Sep D
- Oct D
- Nov D
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
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How to Grow Garden Cress in Cool Temperate Australia
- Soil
- Rich, well drained soil with compost; roots are shallow (The Seed Collection).
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- Not stated in the sources opened.
- Sunlight
- Full sun or part shade, with at least 3 hours of sun; part shade in hot weather delays bolting (The Seed Collection, Succeed Heirlooms).
- Spacing
- 10cm apart, 15cm between rows
- Watering
- Keep the soil evenly moist and water at soil level to keep leaves dry (The Seed Collection).
- Good companions
- Lettuce, Onion, Tomato, Carrot, Radish
- Keep away from
- Broccoli, Cabbage
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before brassicas go back in. The cabbage family is hungry for nitrogen and shares club root and other soil diseases.
Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Garden Cress
Recommended Varieties
- Extra Curled
- Wrinkled Crinkled
Key Challenges
- Slow winter germination below 7C
Pro Tips
- Pots on a windowsill give a winter crop
Pests and problems for Garden Cress in Cool Temperate
Harvesting Garden Cress
When ready: Microgreens at 1 to 2 weeks, leaf plants 15 to 20 cm tall from about 25 days (The Seed Collection, Succeed Heirlooms).
How to harvest: Snip with scissors above the growing point for cut-and-come-again (The Seed Collection).
Storing and preserving garden cress
How to keep it
- Fresh storage. Cut as needed; keep cut leaves in a perforated bag in the fridge (The Seed Collection). Keeps: 2-4 days.
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 Garden Cress
When do you plant garden cress in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Aug
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to Sep
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Mar to Oct
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Feb to May, Aug to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Apr to Sep
- Mediterranean (Perth): Mar to Oct
Can you grow garden cress all year round in Melbourne?
No. In the Cool Temperate zone the planting months are Feb to May, Aug to Nov. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Garden Cress in Melbourne?
Sow direct from February to May and again August to November. Seed germinates at 7 to 15C, so winter sowings are slow but the plant is hardy (The Seed Collection). Months derived from the national advice.
What soil temperature do Garden Cress need?
Garden Cress germinate best when soil temperature is between 7°C and 15°C.
How do I know when Garden Cress are ready to harvest?
Microgreens at 1 to 2 weeks, leaf plants 15 to 20 cm tall from about 25 days (The Seed Collection, Succeed Heirlooms).
What are the best Garden Cress varieties for Melbourne?
Recommended varieties for the Cool Temperate zone include: Extra Curled, Wrinkled Crinkled.
What grows well with Garden Cress?
Good companion plants for Garden Cress include: Lettuce, Onion, Tomato, Carrot, Radish.
Are garden cress salt tolerant?
Only a little. Garden cress 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.