When to Plant Lablab Bean 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 Lablab Bean 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
- Oct to Jan
- Days to harvest
- about 9 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Low
- Spacing
- 20 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 5.0–7.8
Lablab is a vigorous climbing bean with purple flowers. It grows well in heat and copes with dry spells, but it does not like wet feet or frost. Young pods, leaves and flowers are eaten.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Tropical
- Jan D
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep -
- Oct D
- Nov D
- Dec D
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, Lablab Bean included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Lablab Bean in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Free draining soil. It is highly susceptible to waterlogging (NT DAF snippet, Herbiguide).
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 5.0-7.8
- Sunlight
- Full sun.
- Spacing
- 20cm apart
- Watering
- Drought tolerant once established, but water young plants. Do not let water pool around the roots.
- Good companions
- Sweet Corn
- Grow before it
- Roots and alliums (Carrot, Beetroot, Onion)
- Grow after it
- Leafy greens and brassicas (Lettuce, Silverbeet, Broccoli)
Give the bed 3 turns before legumes go back in. Beans and peas fix nitrogen, so they leave the bed richer than they found it.
Tropical Growing Tips for Lablab Bean
Key Challenges
- Waterlogging
- Pod borers
- Anthracnose
Pro Tips
- Use a raised bed
- Trellis well
- Soak and boil dry beans
Pests and problems for Lablab Bean in Tropical
Harvesting Lablab Bean
When ready: Pick young pods while they are flat and tender, from about 60 to 65 days after sowing for early cultivars (CTAHR). Leaves and flowers are also eaten.
How to harvest: Pick pods by hand, or cut with scissors.
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 Lablab Bean
When do you plant lablab bean in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Jan, Oct to Dec
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Jan, Oct to Dec
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Oct to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Nov to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Oct to Dec
- Mediterranean (Perth): Oct to Dec
Can you grow lablab bean all year round in Cairns?
No. In the Tropical zone the planting months are Jan, Oct to Dec. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Lablab Bean in Cairns?
Sow from October to January with the wet season (Herbiguide sowing Oct to Jan, Seed Collection says hot humid wet season). Waterlogging kills it, so use a raised bed. No regional vegetable calendar was found.
What soil temperature do Lablab Bean need?
Lablab Bean germinate best when soil temperature is between 18°C and 30°C.
How do I know when Lablab Bean are ready to harvest?
Pick young pods while they are flat and tender, from about 60 to 65 days after sowing for early cultivars (CTAHR). Leaves and flowers are also eaten.
What grows well with Lablab Bean?
Good companion plants for Lablab Bean include: Sweet Corn.
Are lablab bean salt tolerant?
Only a little. Lablab bean 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.