When to Plant Apple in Perth, Mediterranean Guide

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

Planting window
Plant bare-root trees in winter. Choose low-chill varieties on the Perth coast; standard varieties do best in the Perth and Adelaide Hills.
Sunlight
Full sun, minimum 6 hours direct. Morning sun preferred to dry dew and reduce fungal pressure.
Soil pH
6.0-6.5
Shop price
$6.28/kg average

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

This Apple guide is written for the Mediterranean zone, which takes in Perth, Adelaide and Bunbury. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.

Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs

Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.

Apple

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Australia's most popular deciduous fruit tree, but success depends entirely on chill hours. Most varieties need 400-1000+ hours below 7°C. Planting a high-chill variety in Brisbane or Cairns is throwing money away. Grafted trees on dwarfing rootstocks (M26, M9, MM106) are essential for home gardens. Seedling trees take 8-10 years to fruit and rarely produce true to type.

See what grows now in your own postcode

Best Planting Window for Mediterranean

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

P = Planting window

Plant bare-root trees in winter. Choose low-chill varieties on the Perth coast; standard varieties do best in the Perth and Adelaide Hills.

Want a nudge when it is Apple sowing time in Perth?

One email a week with what is worth planting in the Mediterranean zone right now, Apple included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.

This month in Mediterranean

In October the Mediterranean zone normally runs 22°C by day and 10°C overnight, with about 38 mm of rain over 6 or 7 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -0.2°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 19 postcodes, SILO.

The full twelve months are on the Mediterranean zone page.

How to Grow Apple in Mediterranean Australia

When to Plant

Plant bare-root trees in winter. Choose low-chill varieties on the Perth coast; standard varieties do best in the Perth and Adelaide Hills.

Soil
Deep, well-drained loam. Heavy clay must be amended with gypsum and compost or use raised mounds.
pH Range
6.0-6.5
Sunlight
Full sun, minimum 6 hours direct. Morning sun preferred to dry dew and reduce fungal pressure.

Companion plants: Nasturtium, Comfrey, Chives, Borage

Avoid planting near: Walnut (juglone toxicity), Grass right to trunk (competition)

Mediterranean Growing Tips for Apple

Recommended Varieties

  • Pink Lady
  • Gala
  • Granny Smith
  • Fuji
  • Sundowner

Key Challenges

  • Dry summers need irrigation
  • Mediterranean fruit fly in WA
  • Variable chill at lower elevations

Pro Tips

  • Adelaide Hills is premium apple country (Lenswood, Lobethal).
  • Perth Hills viable, Perth coastal marginal.
  • In WA, Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) replaces QLD fruit fly. Same netting approach applies.

Harvesting Apple

When ready: Background colour changes from green to yellow (for red varieties, check the shaded side). Seeds turn dark brown. Fruit detaches with a gentle upward twist. Flesh is crisp and juicy, not starchy.

How to harvest: Cup fruit in hand and twist upward with a slight roll. Never pull downward, breaks fruiting spurs. Handle gently. Bruised apples rot in storage.

Preserving: pressure canning

3 tested pressure-canning recipes for Apple: 2 where it is the crop being canned and 1 where it is a main ingredient. Each one comes from published home canning guidelines. The conversion to Australian units is ours, with psi beside every kPa. Always follow your pressure canner's manual.

Recipes in this set

  • Apples-Sliced
  • Applesauce
  • Fruit Pureés

The full recipe details are for members on a paid plan: jar sizes, headspace, process time, the pressure for a weighted or dial gauge at your altitude, the ingredients, the preparation steps and the safety notes.

See the plans

Where to next

What apple costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.

Also worth sowing in the mediterranean zone this October: Lemongrass, Beetroot, Chilli Peppers and Cucumber.

The pest most likely to find your apple: Queensland Fruit Fly.

Supermarket Price

Current average retail: $6.28/kg (12-month range: $3.50–$8.90)

Grow your own and save on grocery bills.

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Common Questions About Apple

When do you plant apple 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 Mediterranean zone, Perth is its reference city.