When to Plant Pear 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 in winter. Pears crop best in the Perth and Adelaide Hills; on the coastal plain, choose lower-chill varieties such as...
Sunlight
Full sun, 6+ hours.
Soil pH
6.0-7.0
Shop price
$4.44/kg average

This Pear 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.

Pear

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Long-lived deciduous tree available as European pear (Williams, Beurre Bosc, Packham) or Asian/Nashi pear (Nijisseiki, Hosui, Kosui). European pears are picked slightly unripe and ripen off the tree. Nashi pears are eaten crisp like apples. Most varieties need cross-pollination with a different variety. Trees are very long-lived (50-100+ years) and generally easier to manage than peaches (less disease, fewer spray requirements).

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 in winter. Pears crop best in the Perth and Adelaide Hills; on the coastal plain, choose lower-chill varieties such as Nashi.

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

One email a week with what is worth planting in the Mediterranean zone right now, Pear 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 Pear in Mediterranean Australia

When to Plant

Plant bare-root in winter. Pears crop best in the Perth and Adelaide Hills; on the coastal plain, choose lower-chill varieties such as Nashi.

Soil
Deep, well-drained. Tolerates heavier soil than peaches or cherries. Slightly acidic to neutral.
pH Range
6.0-7.0
Sunlight
Full sun, 6+ hours.

Companion plants: Comfrey, Nasturtium

Avoid planting near: Juniper species (host for pear rust)

Mediterranean Growing Tips for Pear

Recommended Varieties

  • Williams
  • Packham
  • Beurre Bosc
  • Nashi varieties

Key Challenges

  • Dry summers need irrigation

Pro Tips

  • Good pear zone. Adelaide Hills is excellent.

Harvesting Pear

When ready: European pears: pick when full-sized but still firm (NOT ripe on tree). Background colour lightens slightly. Fruit detaches with upward twist. Ripen at room temperature for 5-10 days. Nashi pears: pick when sweet (they ripen on tree like apples).

How to harvest: Twist upward. European pears MUST be picked pre-ripe. Tree-ripened fruit is mealy/grainy.

Preserving: pressure canning

2 tested pressure-canning recipes for Pear: 1 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

  • Pears-Halved
  • 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 pear costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.

Also worth sowing in the mediterranean zone this October: Lemongrass, Dwarf Beans (Bush), Eggplant (Aubergine) and Parsnip.

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

Supermarket Price

Current average retail: $4.44/kg (12-month range: $2.99–$4.90)

Grow your own and save on grocery bills.

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Common Questions About Pear

When do you plant pear 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.