When to plant Chinese Cabbage in Tropical Australia
Tropical zone — applies to Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Broome, Mackay and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Temperate · Cool · Subtropical · Arid.
Sow Chinese Cabbage direct across the tropical dry season from February to November, placing seed 6 mm deep for fast germination in just 6–12 days. Thin plants to 30 cm apart in rows 40 cm apart. This is one of the quicker brassicas, heading up in 60–80 days, which lets you fit several successions into the cooler, drier months in Darwin and Cairns before the wet-season humidity makes leafy heading crops difficult.
Sowing calendar — tropical zone
Green months are your sowing window: February to November.
Growing notes
Chinese cabbage is a fast, tender leaf crop that suits the tropics well as long as you keep it out of the worst heat and wet. Sown into cool, moist, rich soil it romps away and forms a crisp barrel-shaped head in a couple of months.
The two main failure modes here are bolting and pests. Heat and moisture stress make it bolt straight to flower before heading, so keep it to the cooler dry-season months, sow it direct to avoid the transplant check that also triggers bolting, and never let the bed dry out. The second problem is caterpillars and slugs, which shred the soft leaves — cabbage white and cluster caterpillars are relentless in the tropics. Cover the crop with fine exclusion netting from sowing to keep moths off, and check the growing points regularly.
The wet season is the other limit: sustained humidity brings soft rot and downy mildew that turn heads to slime. Grow on a free-draining raised bed, water at the base early in the day, and time the crop so it heads and is harvested before the build-up. Feed generously with nitrogen for fast, tender growth, and harvest heads as soon as they firm up rather than leaving them to split.
Chinese Cabbage at a glance
| Sowing depth | 6 mm |
|---|---|
| Plant spacing | 30 cm |
| Row spacing | 40 cm |
| Germination | 6-12 days |
| Days to maturity | 60-80 days |
| Frost tolerance | Hardy |
| Method | Sow Direct |
Common questions
- When can I grow Chinese cabbage in the tropics?
- Sow direct through the dry season from February to November. It heads in 60–80 days, so you can run several successions in the cooler, drier months before wet-season humidity makes heading difficult.
- Why does my Chinese cabbage bolt before it hearts up?
- Heat and water stress trigger early bolting. Keep the crop to the cool dry season, sow it direct rather than transplanting, and keep the soil consistently moist to hold it in leaf.
- How do I stop caterpillars eating my Chinese cabbage?
- Cover the crop with fine exclusion netting from sowing to keep cabbage white and cluster-caterpillar moths off the plants. Check the growing points often and remove any caterpillars you find by hand.
- Does Chinese cabbage rot in the wet season?
- Yes, sustained humidity brings soft rot and downy mildew. Grow on a free-draining raised bed, water at the base early in the day, and time the crop to finish before the wet-season build-up in Cairns and Darwin.
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