When to Plant Carob in Cairns, Tropical Guide
What this month normally looks like in Tropical
In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.
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This Carob guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6.6–8.0
Carob is a slow, long lived evergreen legume tree from the Mediterranean, grown for its sweet brown pods, which are dried and ground as a chocolate substitute (ABC Gardening Australia).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Best Planting Window for Tropical
Carob is not recommended for Tropical.
Carob is a dry climate tree: Daleys lists warm temperate and arid, Diggers says dry and semi arid, and Nurseries Online says it will not take waterlogging. Humid wet tropical summers do not suit it, so we do not list planting months.
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How to Grow Carob in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Perfect drainage; not very acid or waterlogged (Daleys, Nurseries Online). Deep taproot (Nurseries Online).
- Salt
- Sensitive. Struggles with salty bore water or salty soil. Give it rainwater if you can.
- pH Range
- 6.6-8.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun, sheltered (Daleys, Nurseries Online).
- Keep away from
- Waterlogged ground, Frost pockets, Paving, because of the deep taproot and wide canopy
Tropical Growing Tips for Carob
Recommended Varieties
- Clifford, self fertile (Daleys)
- Sfax female with a male or bisexual tree (Daleys review)
Key Challenges
- Slow growth
- Needs both sexes unless grafted
- Frost at flowering
Pro Tips
- Plant Clifford for one tree
- Wait for the stem end to blacken
- Reduce water as pods mature
Harvesting Carob
When ready: Pods turn from green to brown (ABC); wait until the stem end turns black (Daleys review).
How to harvest: Pick or shake pods onto a sheet; pods take about ten months to ripen (Nurseries Online).
Storing and preserving carob
How to keep it
- Drying and grinding. Dry pods, deseed, roast lightly, grind (ABC). Keeps: 12 months.
- Syrup. Boil pods (ABC). Keeps: 6 months in the fridge.
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 Carob
When do you plant carob in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): not recommended
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Sep to Nov
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Sep to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Oct to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Sep to Nov
- Mediterranean (Perth): Sep to Nov
When should I plant Carob in Cairns?
Carob is a dry climate tree: Daleys lists warm temperate and arid, Diggers says dry and semi arid, and Nurseries Online says it will not take waterlogging. Humid wet tropical summers do not suit it, so we do not list planting months.
How do I know when Carob are ready to harvest?
Pods turn from green to brown (ABC); wait until the stem end turns black (Daleys review).
What are the best Carob varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Clifford, self fertile (Daleys), Sfax female with a male or bisexual tree (Daleys review).
Are carob salt tolerant?
No. Carob are salt-sensitive, one of the more sensitive veggies. Use rainwater if your bore water is salty, or grow them in a raised bed of fresh mix if your soil is.
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 Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.