When to Plant Rosemary 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 Rosemary 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 13 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 100 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.5–7.5
Iconic Mediterranean evergreen shrub with intensely aromatic needle-like leaves. Extremely drought-tolerant once established. HATES wet feet and humidity. Root rot kills more rosemary in Australia than anything else.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Best Planting Window for Tropical
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr P
- May P
- Jun P
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep -
- Oct -
- Nov -
- Dec -
P = Planting window
Plant potted plants or cuttings early in the dry, in a pot or raised, sharply drained bed. Humidity and wet feet are its main enemies here.
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How to Grow Rosemary in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Well-drained, lean, slightly alkaline soil. Sandy or gravelly. Does NOT want rich soil.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.5-7.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun. Minimum 6 hours. More = better.
- Spacing
- 100cm apart, 120cm between rows
- Watering
- Minimal once established. Water young plants weekly until rooted. Established plants need almost no supplementary water in temperate zones. OVERWATERING KILLS ROSEMARY.
- Good companions
- Dwarf Beans, Carrot, Cabbage, Thyme, Broccoli
- Keep away from
- Basil (different water needs), Mint
Tropical Growing Tips for Rosemary
Recommended Varieties
- Tuscan Blue (upright, vigorous)
- Prostrate rosemary (slightly more humidity tolerant)
Key Challenges
- Root rot from humidity and wet
- Dieback in wet season
- Poor drainage is fatal
Pro Tips
- Terracotta pot with very sandy/gritty mix is the ONLY reliable option
- Elevate pot for drainage
- Move under cover during wet season
Pests and problems for Rosemary in Tropical
Harvesting Rosemary
When ready: Harvest from established plants (6+ months old). Evergreen, available year-round.
How to harvest: Snip 10-15cm stem tips. Never cut into old leafless wood, it won't regrow. Always cut above green growth.
Storing and preserving rosemary
How to keep it
- Drying (excellent). Hang bundles in dark dry place 1-2 weeks. Strip leaves from stems. Rosemary dries exceptionally well with minimal flavour loss. Keeps: 12-18 months.
- Freezing. Strip leaves, freeze in bags. Or freeze whole sprigs. Or chop and freeze in oil cubes. Keeps: 6 months.
- Rosemary salt. Blend fresh rosemary with coarse salt (1:4 ratio). Spread on tray, dry in oven at 100C for 1 hour. Crumble and store. Keeps: 6 months.
- Rosemary oil. Pack fresh sprigs into sterilised bottle. Cover with mild olive oil. Seal and store 2-4 weeks. Strain. Use for cooking. Keeps: 3 months refrigerated.
What rosemary costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.
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 Rosemary
When do you plant rosemary 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 Jun, Aug to Oct
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Mar to May, Sep to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Sep to Nov
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to May, Aug to Oct
- Mediterranean (Perth): Mar to May, Aug to Oct
When should I plant Rosemary in Cairns?
Plant potted plants or cuttings early in the dry, in a pot or raised, sharply drained bed. Humidity and wet feet are its main enemies here.
What soil temperature do Rosemary need?
Rosemary germinate best when soil temperature is between 15°C and 20°C.
How do I know when Rosemary are ready to harvest?
Harvest from established plants (6+ months old). Evergreen, available year-round.
What are the best Rosemary varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Tuscan Blue (upright, vigorous), Prostrate rosemary (slightly more humidity tolerant).
What grows well with Rosemary?
Good companion plants for Rosemary include: Dwarf Beans, Carrot, Cabbage, Thyme, Broccoli.
Are rosemary salt tolerant?
Only a little. Rosemary 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.