When to Plant Mushroom Plant 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 Mushroom Plant 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
- Oct to Nov
- Days to harvest
- about 26 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 60 cm apart
The mushroom plant is a low, clumping evergreen herb from the New Guinea highlands with glossy leaves that taste of mushroom (Green Harvest).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Best Planting Window for Cool Temperate
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep -
- Oct P
- Nov P
- Dec -
P = Planting window
You might be able to grow it here under the right conditions. Daleys lists cool temperate and says it can handle frosts; Green Harvest says light frosts only, with slight damage. An Apollo Bay grower keeps it in a greenhouse and finds it slow. Plant in spring after frost in a sheltered part shade spot or a pot that can be moved under cover.
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How to Grow Mushroom Plant in Cool Temperate Australia
- Soil
- Moderate to rich loam that does not waterlog (Green Harvest).
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- Sunlight
- Full sun to medium shade (Green Harvest); part sun or shade (Daleys); part shade (Herb Cottage).
- Spacing
- 60cm apart, 60cm between rows
- Watering
- Moderate water (Daleys); tolerates dry but grows better watered (Herb Cottage).
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before leafy greens go back in. Leaf crops want the nitrogen the legumes left behind.
Cool Temperate Growing Tips for Mushroom Plant
Key Challenges
- Frost
- Slow growth
Pro Tips
- Pot that moves under cover
- Greenhouse in winter
Pests and problems for Mushroom Plant in Cool Temperate
Harvesting Mushroom Plant
When ready: Clumps with plenty of glossy leaves; harvest within the first year (Daleys).
How to harvest: Pick leaf tips and young stems; the plant re-shoots from the roots (Green Harvest).
Storing and preserving mushroom plant
How to keep it
- Freezing. Blanch, cool, bag flat (NCHFP). Keeps: 6 months.
- Fresh. Damp cloth in a bag in the crisper. Keeps: 3 to 5 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 Mushroom Plant
When do you plant mushroom plant 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, Sep to Dec
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Sep to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Oct to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Sep to Oct
- Mediterranean (Perth): Sep to Nov
When should I plant Mushroom Plant in Melbourne?
You might be able to grow it here under the right conditions. Daleys lists cool temperate and says it can handle frosts; Green Harvest says light frosts only, with slight damage. An Apollo Bay grower keeps it in a greenhouse and finds it slow. Plant in spring after frost in a sheltered part shade spot or a pot that can be moved under cover.
How do I know when Mushroom Plant are ready to harvest?
Clumps with plenty of glossy leaves; harvest within the first year (Daleys).
Are mushroom plant salt tolerant?
Only a little. Mushroom plant 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.