When to Plant Malabar Spinach in Sydney, Warm Temperate Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Sydney), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Warm Temperate
In October the Warm Temperate zone normally runs 24°C by day and 13°C overnight, with about 66 mm of rain over 7 or 8 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -1.5°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 153 postcodes, SILO.
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This Malabar Spinach guide is written for the Warm Temperate zone, which takes in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Sep to Feb
- Days to harvest
- about 9 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 20 cm apart
Malabar spinach (Ceylon spinach) is a fast climbing vine with thick glossy leaves that thrives in heat and humidity when true spinach will not grow (Green Harvest).
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Warm Temperate
- Jan D
- Feb D
- Mar -
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep S/D
- Oct S/D
- Nov T/D
- Dec T/D
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
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How to Grow Malabar Spinach in Warm Temperate Australia
- Soil
- Rich, moist, well drained soil with compost (Green Harvest, The Seed Collection).
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 5.5-6.7 (Green Harvest); Daleys gives 5.5 to 8.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun, 6 or more hours; semi-shade in the hottest areas (The Seed Collection, Green Harvest).
- Spacing
- 20cm apart, 60cm between rows
- Watering
- Evenly moist; water at the base (The Seed Collection).
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before leafy greens go back in. Leaf crops want the nitrogen the legumes left behind.
Warm Temperate Growing Tips for Malabar Spinach
Recommended Varieties
- Green stem
- Red stem
Key Challenges
- Slow in cold
Pro Tips
- Warm spot against a wall
Pests and problems for Malabar Spinach in Warm Temperate
Harvesting Malabar Spinach
When ready: Leaves large enough to pick, from about 60 days (The Seed Collection).
How to harvest: Pinch leaves and shoot tips; tip-pruning keeps it bushy (The Seed Collection, Green Harvest).
Storing and preserving malabar spinach
How to keep it
- Blanching and freezing. Blanch, cool, drain and freeze (The Seed Collection). Keeps: 6-12 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 Malabar Spinach
When do you plant malabar spinach in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): all year
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Jan to Mar, Aug to Dec
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Jan to Feb, Sep to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan, Sep to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Jan to Feb, Aug to Dec
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jan to Feb, Sep to Dec
Can you grow malabar spinach all year round in Sydney?
No. In the Warm Temperate zone the planting months are Jan to Feb, Sep to Dec. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Malabar Spinach in Sydney?
Sow direct September to February (The Seed Collection temperate listing), or start seed in trays in September and October with warmth and plant out from November (The Seed Collection, Green Harvest). Daleys lists it for warm temperate areas and says it is slow in the cold. Pick from December to April.
What soil temperature do Malabar Spinach need?
Malabar Spinach germinate best when soil temperature is between 22°C and 30°C.
How do I know when Malabar Spinach are ready to harvest?
Leaves large enough to pick, from about 60 days (The Seed Collection).
What are the best Malabar Spinach varieties for Sydney?
Recommended varieties for the Warm Temperate zone include: Green stem, Red stem.
Are malabar spinach salt tolerant?
Only a little. Malabar spinach 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 Warm Temperate zone, Sydney is its reference city.