When to Plant Pecan in Melbourne, Cool Temperate Guide

Plant June to August. Right now in September it is out of season. The next planting month is June.

Published · Last reviewed · By Garden Buddy
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.

This Pecan 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.

Pecan

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Large deciduous nut tree native to the Mississippi River valley in the USA. Gets very large (15-30m) and needs ample space. Produces thin-shelled nuts with rich, buttery kernels. Needs warm summers, cold winters, and LOTS of water. Cross-pollination between varieties is essential for nut set. Long-lived (100+ years) but slow to reach full production (8-12 years). Pecans do surprisingly well in Australia's irrigated inland zones.

Best Planting Window for Cool Temperate

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
- - - - - P P P - - - -

P = Planting window

Plant bare root June-August.

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How to Grow Pecan in Cool Temperate Australia

When to Plant

Plant bare root June-August.

Soil
Deep, fertile, well-drained alluvial soil. Originally a bottomland/riverbank tree. Likes rich deep soil with good moisture-holding capacity. Tolerates some clay better than most nut trees. Deep taproot needs minimum 2m soil depth.
pH Range
6.0-7.0
Sunlight
Full sun. Needs high heat units for nut maturity.

Companion plants: Grass (orchards often grassed), Legume cover crops

Avoid planting near: Buildings, infrastructure (massive tree)

Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Pecan

Recommended Varieties

  • Wichita
  • Western Schley

Key Challenges

  • May not have enough heat for nut maturity
  • Short season

Pro Tips

  • Marginal in Melbourne. Nuts may not fill properly in cool autumns.
  • Inner-city heat islands might succeed.

Harvesting Pecan

When ready: Shuck (outer green covering) splits and separates from shell. Nuts fall from tree. Shell colour darkens.

How to harvest: Collect fallen nuts from ground (shake branches to accelerate). Remove shuck remnants. Dry in single layer in shade for 2-3 weeks.

Where to next

Also worth sowing in the cool temperate zone this September: Ginger, Sweet Corn, Chilli Peppers and Snow Peas.

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Common Questions About Pecan

When do you plant pecan in Australia?

It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:

Which zone am I in?

Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page 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.