When to Plant Garlic Chives 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 Garlic Chives 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
- Mar to Nov
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Spacing
- 25 cm apart
Garlic chives are a tough clumping perennial with flat leaves and a mild garlic taste. The white starry flowers are edible and bees love them. Wait a year before harvesting.
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 T
- Apr T
- May T
- Jun T
- Jul T
- Aug T
- Sep T
- Oct T
- Nov T
- 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, Garlic Chives included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Garlic Chives in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Tolerates a wide range of soils, even poor ones, but needs good drainage (Green Harvest, Rob Pyne). The Seed Vine prefers moist, well drained, nutrient rich soil.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- Sunlight
- Full sun, tolerating part shade (Rob Pyne, Seed Vine).
- Spacing
- 25cm apart, 30cm between rows
- Watering
- Deep roots, so water thoroughly and let the top layer dry between waterings (Rob Pyne). Keep seeds moist during germination.
- Good companions
- Cucumber, Tomato, Basil
Tropical Growing Tips for Garlic Chives
Recommended Varieties
- Garlic chives
Key Challenges
- Wet season waterlogging
- Spreading by seed
Pro Tips
- Pot it in the wet season
- Deadhead the flowers
Pests and problems for Garlic Chives in Tropical
- Downy Mildew Space plants, water in the morning at the base. Watch
- Common Garden Snail Watch
- Slugs Watch
- Aphids Watch
- Allium White Rot Buy clean plants, do not move soil from affected beds and rotate alliums. Watch
- Waterlogging and Root Rot Grow in a pot in the wet season, in free draining soil. Watch
Harvesting Garlic Chives
When ready: Do not harvest in the first year (Rob Pyne). From the second year, young leaves are ready any time.
How to harvest: Cut just above soil level with scissors (Rob Pyne). Add to cooking in the last few minutes to avoid stringiness (Green Harvest).
Storing and preserving garlic chives
How to keep it
- Use fresh. No Australian source read on preserving.
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 Garlic Chives
When do you plant garlic chives in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Mar to Nov
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Jan to Apr, Aug to Dec
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan to Mar, Aug 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): Apr to Sep
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jan to Mar, Aug to Dec
Can you grow garlic chives all year round in Cairns?
No. In the Tropical zone the planting months are Mar to Nov. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Garlic Chives in Cairns?
Rob Pyne says early April is a good time in the tropics and it grows all year, with better results in the dry season. The Seed Vine says most of the year except summer. In the wet season grow it in a pot, as waterlogged ground damages it (Rob Pyne).
What soil temperature do Garlic Chives need?
Garlic Chives germinate best when soil temperature is between 15°C and 22°C.
How do I know when Garlic Chives are ready to harvest?
Do not harvest in the first year (Rob Pyne). From the second year, young leaves are ready any time.
What are the best Garlic Chives varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Garlic chives.
What grows well with Garlic Chives?
Good companion plants for Garlic Chives include: Cucumber, Tomato, Basil.
Are garlic chives salt tolerant?
Only a little. Garlic chives 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.