When to Plant Gai Lan 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 Gai Lan 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 Aug
- Days to harvest
- about 9 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 20 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.0
Gai lan (Chinese broccoli, kailaan) is grown for its thick juicy flowering stems, picked just before the buds open (Green Harvest).
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 D
- Aug D
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
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How to Grow Gai Lan in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Fertile, well drained soil with plenty of compost; a heavy feeder (Green Harvest, SGA).
- 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, 6 or more hours; part shade in very hot areas (Green Harvest, SGA, The Seed Collection).
- Spacing
- 20cm apart, 30cm between rows
- Watering
- Keep moist; shallow roots need frequent water and mulch (Green Harvest, SGA).
- Good companions
- Dwarf Beans, Cucumber, Carrot, Beetroot, Peas
- Keep away from
- Parsley (SGA)
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before brassicas go back in. The cabbage family is hungry for nitrogen and shares club root and other soil diseases.
Tropical Growing Tips for Gai Lan
Recommended Varieties
- Kailaan (Green Harvest)
Key Challenges
- Wet season rot
- Caterpillars
Pro Tips
- Sow in the dry season
Pests and problems for Gai Lan in Tropical
Harvesting Gai Lan
When ready: Flower buds formed but not open, stems 15 to 20 cm (Green Harvest).
How to harvest: Cut the top 15 to 20 cm of the stalk; leave at least 8 cm of stem so side shoots regrow (Green Harvest, Succeed Heirlooms).
Storing and preserving gai lan
How to keep it
- Blanching and freezing. Blanch 2 minutes, cool in iced water, drain, pack and freeze (NCHFP greens method). Keeps: 8-12 months.
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 Gai Lan
When do you plant gai lan in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Aug
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to Sep
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan to Apr, Sep to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan to Mar, Sep to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jan to Feb, Oct to Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Feb to Jul
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jan to Apr, Sep to Dec
Can you grow gai lan all year round in Cairns?
No. In the Tropical zone the planting months are Apr to Aug. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Gai Lan in Cairns?
Sow direct April to August (Green Harvest, Succeed Heirlooms). Gai lan handles heat and humidity, but the dry season gives the best stems (Green Harvest). Pick the flowering stalks before the buds open and side shoots follow (Green Harvest).
What soil temperature do Gai Lan need?
Gai Lan germinate best when soil temperature is between 10°C and 29°C.
How do I know when Gai Lan are ready to harvest?
Flower buds formed but not open, stems 15 to 20 cm (Green Harvest).
What are the best Gai Lan varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Kailaan (Green Harvest).
What grows well with Gai Lan?
Good companion plants for Gai Lan include: Dwarf Beans, Cucumber, Carrot, Beetroot, Peas.
Are gai lan salt tolerant?
Only a little. Gai lan 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.