When to Plant Cumin 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 Cumin 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.
- Planting window
- Apr to Jun
- Days to harvest
- about 16 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 20 cm apart
Cumin is a small tender annual grown for its seed. It wants full sun, moist well drained soil and a long hot dry summer: 14 to 17 weeks of hot weather to set seed (Diggers).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Tropical
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr D
- May D
- Jun D
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
One email a week with what is worth planting in the Tropical zone right now, Cumin included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Cumin in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Moist, well drained (The Seed Collection).
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- Sunlight
- Full sun (The Seed Collection, Seeds of Plenty).
- Spacing
- 20cm apart, 30cm between rows
- Watering
- Keep moist but never wet; it prefers warm dry summers (Diggers).
- Good companions
- Cucumber, Beetroot, Cabbage, Potato
Tropical Growing Tips for Cumin
Key Challenges
- Wet season humidity
Pro Tips
- Sow at the start of the dry season
- Raised bed or pot
Pests and problems for Cumin in Tropical
Harvesting Cumin
When ready: Pods turn brown (Seeds of Plenty); seed is harvested in autumn (Diggers).
How to harvest: Cut whole stems, hang in a paper bag until the seed drops, then rub out and clean (Seeds of Plenty).
Storing and preserving cumin
How to keep it
- Drying seed. Hang stems in a paper bag with holes until the seed drops (NCHFP). Keeps: 1 to 3 years airtight.
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 Cumin
When do you plant cumin in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Jun
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to Apr, Sep to Oct
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Aug to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Sep to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Aug to Oct
- Mediterranean (Perth): Aug to Nov
Can you grow cumin all year round in Cairns?
No. In the Tropical zone the planting months are Apr to Jun. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Cumin in Cairns?
You might be able to grow it here under the right conditions. Seeds of Plenty lists sowing all year in the tropics, but cumin wants a warm dry summer (Diggers), so the wet season works against it. Sow at the start of the dry season and keep it in free draining soil.
What soil temperature do Cumin need?
Cumin germinate best when soil temperature is between 18°C and 25°C.
How do I know when Cumin are ready to harvest?
Pods turn brown (Seeds of Plenty); seed is harvested in autumn (Diggers).
What grows well with Cumin?
Good companion plants for Cumin include: Cucumber, Beetroot, Cabbage, Potato.
Are cumin salt tolerant?
Only a little. Cumin 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.