When to Plant Salad Burnet in Sydney, Warm Temperate Guide

Sow now in Warm Temperate Soil 17.9°C, best 10–14°C. Too warm for it.

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.

Jump to section
  1. Planting calendar
  2. How to grow
  3. Local tips and varieties
  4. Pests and problems
  5. Harvesting
  6. Storing and preserving
  7. Other zones and related crops
  8. Common questions

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This Salad Burnet 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
Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov
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).

Salad Burnet

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Planting Calendar for Warm Temperate

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

S = Seed Tray   T = Transplant   D = Direct Sow

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How to Grow Salad Burnet in Warm Temperate 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

Members see the exact salt threshold, how much harvest it loses as salt rises, and what to grow instead. See what members get

Warm Temperate Growing Tips for Salad Burnet

Recommended Varieties

  • Sanguisorba minor seed (Succeed Heirlooms, The Seed Collection)

Key Challenges

  • Slugs on seedlings

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 Warm Temperate

Members see each pest score and pest risk alerts for your area. See what members get

Browse the full pest library →

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.

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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

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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:

Can you grow salad burnet all year round in Sydney?

No. In the Warm Temperate zone the planting months are Mar to Apr, Sep to Nov. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.

When should I plant Salad Burnet in Sydney?

Sow direct in March and April or from September to November (Succeed Heirlooms, temperate), 5 to 8 mm deep, 30 cm apart, in full sun or light shade. Seed germinates in 7 to 21 days at 10 to 14C (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 Sydney?

Recommended varieties for the Warm Temperate 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 Warm Temperate zone, Sydney is its reference city.