When to plant Salad Burnett in Arid Australia

Arid zone — applies to Alice Springs, Mildura, Broken Hill, Kalgoorlie, Port Augusta and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Temperate · Cool · Subtropical · Tropical.

Sow salad burnet direct from August to October, as the worst of the desert cold eases but before summer heat builds. Seed germinates in 14-21 days and the plant reaches usable size in 60-90 days, giving you cucumber-flavoured leaves for salads well into the cooler months. Sow at a 5 mm depth and thin to 30 cm spacing in rows 40 cm apart. In arid gardens like those around Mildura and Port Augusta, an early-spring sowing lets the rosette establish a deep root system before the heat arrives, which is what carries this hardy perennial herb through summer.

Sowing calendar — arid zone

Green months are your sowing window: August to October.

Growing notes

Salad burnet is a low, ferny rosette that is far tougher than its delicate leaves suggest, which is why it is one of the more dependable fresh-salad herbs for the dry inland. Sown in early spring around Broken Hill or Kalgoorlie, it puts down a taproot that lets it hold on through the summer, though the leaves turn tough and slightly bitter in extreme heat.

The main failure mode here is bolting and coarse growth once temperatures climb past the mid-thirties. The fix is partial afternoon shade and steady moisture: burnet grown in full desert sun with erratic watering runs quickly to seed and stops producing tender leaves. Site it where taller plants or a shade cloth screen give it relief from about midday, and mulch heavily to keep the root zone cool.

Keep picking the young inner leaves and remove the flower stems as they appear; this slows bolting and keeps the plant compact and productive. In an arid climate it behaves as a short-lived perennial, so a single autumn cut-back and a top-up of mulch will usually see it through to another season. Let a plant or two flower at the end and it will self-seed a modest patch for next year.

Salad Burnett at a glance

Common questions

Does salad burnet survive summer in arid areas?

It can, thanks to a deep taproot, but the leaves become tough and bitter in extreme heat. Give it afternoon shade and consistent water and it will hold on through summer, then flush with fresh growth as temperatures ease.

When should I sow salad burnet in Mildura?

Sow direct from August to October so the plant establishes before summer. An early-spring start gives the taproot time to develop, which is what lets the rosette cope with the heat later in the season.

How do I stop salad burnet going bitter?

Pick the young inner leaves, remove flower stems as they form, and keep the plant cool with shade and mulch. Heat stress and bolting are the main causes of bitterness, so relief from the hottest sun makes the biggest difference.

Is salad burnet a perennial?

In arid gardens it behaves as a short-lived perennial. A cut-back and fresh mulch in autumn usually carries it into a second season, and allowing a plant to set seed will give you a self-sown patch to draw on.

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