When to plant Coriander in Tropical Australia
Tropical zone — applies to Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Broome, Mackay and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Temperate · Cool · Subtropical · Arid.
Coriander is strictly a dry-season crop in the tropical zone: sow direct from April to September, and don't bother outside that window, because wet-season heat and humidity send it straight to seed. Sow 6 mm deep where plants are to grow — coriander hates transplanting — and be patient, as germination takes 14 to 21 days. Leaves are ready from about 45 days, with plants finished by 70. In Darwin and Broome the sweet spot is May to July, when cooler nights hold plants in leaf longest; sow a short row every three weeks for a steady supply.
Sowing calendar — tropical zone
Green months are your sowing window: April to September.
Growing notes
Everything about tropical coriander comes back to one fact: heat makes it bolt. The dry season is your only realistic window, and even within it, timing matters — April sowings in Darwin or Broome can still rush to flower if the build-down is warm, while May to July sowings give the longest leafy stage. By September, plants race through their 45–70 day cycle and you are harvesting seed, not leaf, which is fine if seed is what you want.
Sow direct 6 mm deep, thin to about 20 cm with 20–30 cm between rows, and never transplant; root disturbance is the second-fastest route to bolting after heat. Choose a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade, keep soil consistently moist — moisture stress is the third bolting trigger — and mulch lightly to cool the root zone.
The classic failure mode is sowing a single big batch, watching it all bolt in the same fortnight, and giving up. The fix is succession: short rows every three weeks through the dry, harvested young by cutting outer stems low. When plants do throw their feathery flowering foliage, let a couple run to seed anyway — the green seed is excellent in cooking, and dried seed resows your next dry season for free.
Coriander at a glance
| Sowing depth | 6 mm |
|---|---|
| Plant spacing | 20 cm |
| Row spacing | 20-30 cm |
| Germination | 14-21 days |
| Days to maturity | 45-70 days |
| Frost tolerance | Hardy |
| Method | Sow Direct |
Common questions
- When should I plant coriander in tropical Australia?
- Sow direct between April and September only. May to July gives the longest leaf harvest before plants run to seed.
- Why does my coriander bolt to seed so quickly?
- Heat, transplanting and dry soil all trigger bolting, and the tropics supply heat in abundance. Sow direct in the dry season, keep soil moist, and give afternoon shade.
- Can I grow coriander in Darwin during the wet season?
- It is not worth attempting; wet-season heat and humidity push coriander to flower almost immediately. Wait for the dry season, or grow a heat-tolerant substitute like sawtooth coriander.
- How long does coriander take to grow?
- Germination is slow at 14 to 21 days, then leaves are ready from about 45 days, with plants finishing around 70 days.
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