When to Plant Salad Burnet 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 Salad Burnet 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 Jul
- Days to harvest
- 56 days
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 30 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.6–7.0
Salad burnet is a hardy perennial rosette herb, 30 to 60 cm, with ferny leaves that taste of cucumber, used young in salads, drinks and dressings; old leaves turn bitter (Succeed Heirlooms, The Seed Collection).
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 -
- 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, Salad Burnet included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Salad Burnet in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Any well drained soil.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.6-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun or light shade (Succeed Heirlooms).
- Spacing
- 30cm apart, 30cm between rows
- Watering
- Regular water keeps leaves tender; drought turns them bitter.
- Good companions
- Thyme, Mint
Tropical Growing Tips for Salad Burnet
Recommended Varieties
- Sanguisorba minor seed (Succeed Heirlooms, The Seed Collection)
Key Challenges
- Wet season rot
- Bitter leaves in heat
Pro Tips
- Sow direct 5 to 8 mm deep, 30 cm apart (Succeed Heirlooms).
- Pick young leaves; old ones are bitter (Succeed Heirlooms).
- Cut flower stems unless saving seed.
Pests and problems for Salad Burnet in Tropical
Harvesting Salad Burnet
When ready: Young leaves 8 to 10 weeks from sowing (Succeed Heirlooms); 70 to 90 days (The Seed Collection).
How to harvest: Cut young outer leaves at the base; leave the centre to grow.
Storing and preserving salad burnet
How to keep it
- Fresh in the fridge. Wrap young leaves in a damp cloth in a bag. Keeps: 3 to 5 days.
- Herb vinegar. Steep leaves in white wine vinegar 2 weeks, strain. Keeps: 6 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 Salad Burnet
When do you plant salad burnet in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Apr to Jul
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Sep to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Sep to Nov
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to Apr, Sep to Oct
- Mediterranean (Perth): Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
Can you grow salad burnet all year round in Cairns?
No. In the Tropical zone the planting months are Apr to Jul. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Salad Burnet in Cairns?
Sow direct from April to July, the dry season (Succeed Heirlooms, tropical). Sow 5 to 8 mm deep, 30 cm apart, in full sun or light shade; pick the young leaves, the old ones turn bitter (Succeed Heirlooms, The Seed Collection).
What soil temperature do Salad Burnet need?
Salad Burnet germinate best when soil temperature is between 10°C and 14°C.
How do I know when Salad Burnet are ready to harvest?
Young leaves 8 to 10 weeks from sowing (Succeed Heirlooms); 70 to 90 days (The Seed Collection).
What are the best Salad Burnet varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Sanguisorba minor seed (Succeed Heirlooms, The Seed Collection).
What grows well with Salad Burnet?
Good companion plants for Salad Burnet include: Thyme, Mint.
Are salad burnet salt tolerant?
Only a little. Salad burnet 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.