When to Plant Pear in Sydney, Warm Temperate Guide

Plant June to August. Right now in October it is out of season. The next planting month is June.

Planting window
Williams and Packham need inland or tableland chill. On the coast, grow nashi or low-chill pear selections.
Sunlight
Full sun, 6+ hours.
Soil pH
6.0-7.0
Shop price
$4.44/kg average

Published · Last reviewed · By GardenBuddy.au
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.

This Pear 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.

Pear

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Long-lived deciduous tree available as European pear (Williams, Beurre Bosc, Packham) or Asian/Nashi pear (Nijisseiki, Hosui, Kosui). European pears are picked slightly unripe and ripen off the tree. Nashi pears are eaten crisp like apples. Most varieties need cross-pollination with a different variety. Trees are very long-lived (50-100+ years) and generally easier to manage than peaches (less disease, fewer spray requirements).

See what grows now in your own postcode

Best Planting Window for Warm Temperate

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
- - - - - P P P - - - -

P = Planting window

Williams and Packham need inland or tableland chill. On the coast, grow nashi or low-chill pear selections.

Want a nudge when it is Pear sowing time in Sydney?

One email a week with what is worth planting in the Warm Temperate zone right now, Pear included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.

This month 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.

The full twelve months are on the Warm Temperate zone page.

How to Grow Pear in Warm Temperate Australia

When to Plant

Williams and Packham need inland or tableland chill. On the coast, grow nashi or low-chill pear selections.

Soil
Deep, well-drained. Tolerates heavier soil than peaches or cherries. Slightly acidic to neutral.
pH Range
6.0-7.0
Sunlight
Full sun, 6+ hours.

Companion plants: Comfrey, Nasturtium

Avoid planting near: Juniper species (host for pear rust)

Warm Temperate Growing Tips for Pear

Recommended Varieties

  • Williams/Bartlett
  • Packham
  • Beurre Bosc
  • Nashi: Nijisseiki, Hosui, Kosui, Shinsui

Key Challenges

  • Codling moth
  • Fruit fly

Pro Tips

  • Good pear zone. Sydney Hills and Blue Mountains are excellent.
  • Plant 2 European varieties for cross-pollination.

Harvesting Pear

When ready: European pears: pick when full-sized but still firm (NOT ripe on tree). Background colour lightens slightly. Fruit detaches with upward twist. Ripen at room temperature for 5-10 days. Nashi pears: pick when sweet (they ripen on tree like apples).

How to harvest: Twist upward. European pears MUST be picked pre-ripe. Tree-ripened fruit is mealy/grainy.

Preserving: pressure canning

2 tested pressure-canning recipes for Pear: 1 where it is the crop being canned and 1 where it is a main ingredient. Each one comes from published home canning guidelines. The conversion to Australian units is ours, with psi beside every kPa. Always follow your pressure canner's manual.

Recipes in this set

  • Pears-Halved
  • Fruit Pureés

The full recipe details are for members on a paid plan: jar sizes, headspace, process time, the pressure for a weighted or dial gauge at your altitude, the ingredients, the preparation steps and the safety notes.

See the plans

Where to next

What pear costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.

Also worth sowing in the warm temperate zone this October: Lemongrass, Beetroot, Dwarf Beans (Bush) and Eggplant (Aubergine).

The pest most likely to find your pear: Queensland Fruit Fly.

Supermarket Price

Current average retail: $4.44/kg (12-month range: $2.99–$4.90)

Grow your own and save on grocery bills.

Get the Full Interactive Guide

Track your garden, get real-time pest alerts, and plan around your zone's weather.

Open the planting dashboard Join GardenBuddy.au

Common Questions About Pear

When do you plant pear in Australia?

It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:

Which zone am I in?

Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page 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.