When to Plant Corn Salad in Cairns, Tropical Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Cairns), not a live sensor.
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 Corn Salad 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.
- Days to harvest
- 45 days
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.0
Valerianella locusta. Frost-hardy salad rosettes; also called lamb's lettuce. Sow directly in moist soil during cool weather.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Tropical
Corn Salad is not recommended for Tropical.
Supplier says unlikely to do well.
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
One email a week with what is worth planting in the Tropical zone right now, Corn Salad included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Corn Salad in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Moist, fertile, free-draining sandy loam
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun to partial shade, at least 4 to 6 hours of sun a day
- Spacing
- 10-20cm apart, 15cm between rows
- Watering
- Keep the soil moist but never soggy or dry. Water deeply in the early morning or late afternoon and keep water off the leaves.
- Good companions
- Lettuce, Onion, Spinach
- Grow before it
- Leafy greens and brassicas (Lettuce, Silverbeet, Broccoli)
- Grow after it
- Roots and alliums (Carrot, Beetroot, Onion)
Give the bed 3 turns before other fruiting crops go back in. Corn, okra and sunflower are heavy feeders that sit with the fruiting crops in the cycle.
Tropical Growing Tips for Corn Salad
Recommended Varieties
- Large Dutch (Open pollinated)
Pests and problems for Corn Salad in Tropical
Harvesting Corn Salad
When ready: Rosettes form 8 to 12 tender spoon-shaped leaves, around 45 to 60 days after sowing
How to harvest: Snip individual outer leaves or cut the entire rosette at ground level with a sharp knife
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 Corn Salad
When do you plant corn salad in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): not recommended
- Subtropical (Brisbane): May to Jul
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Apr to May, Aug to Sep
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Mar to May, Aug to Sep
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Mar to May, Aug to Sep
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Apr to May, Aug
- Mediterranean (Perth): Apr to May, Aug to Sep
When should I plant Corn Salad in Cairns?
Supplier says unlikely to do well.
What soil temperature do Corn Salad need?
Corn Salad germinate best when soil temperature is between 10°C and 18°C.
How do I know when Corn Salad are ready to harvest?
Rosettes form 8 to 12 tender spoon-shaped leaves, around 45 to 60 days after sowing
What are the best Corn Salad varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Large Dutch (Open pollinated).
What grows well with Corn Salad?
Good companion plants for Corn Salad include: Lettuce, Onion, Spinach.
Are corn salad salt tolerant?
Only a little. Corn salad 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 Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.