When to plant Warrigal Greens in Temperate Australia

Temperate zone — applies to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Newcastle and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Cool · Subtropical · Tropical · Arid.

Sow warrigal greens direct from October to December, or again in the warm run of January to March, dropping seed about 5 mm deep once the soil has taken the edge off winter. This tough native spinach relative germinates slowly, usually in 14–21 days, so soaking the hard seed capsules overnight before sowing helps things along. Thin or space plants 30–50 cm apart with rows around 60 cm, because a single plant sprawls into a dense mat. You can start picking tips from 60–90 days, and in a Sydney or Perth garden it will keep cropping right through the warmer half of the year.

Sowing calendar — temperate zone

Green months are your sowing window: October to March.

Growing notes

Warrigal greens are almost the ideal temperate ground cover for hot, dry spots where English spinach bolts and sulks. It thrives in full sun in Melbourne and Adelaide summers, tolerates salt and poor soil, and self-seeds happily once established. Pick the soft growing tips regularly to keep the plant productive and low; left alone it becomes woody and goes to seed.

The main failure mode is impatient sowing. The seed sits inside a corky capsule that resists water, so gardeners often give up when nothing appears after a week. Soak the capsules for 24 hours, keep the seedbed evenly moist, and wait the full three weeks before assuming failure.

One genuine caution worth stating: warrigal greens contain oxalates, so blanch the leaves for a minute and discard the water before eating. Raw or in quantity they are not recommended. In cultivation the plant has few pests, though snails will graze fresh seedlings in a wet Newcastle spring, so protect the young plants until they toughen up.

Warrigal Greens at a glance

Common questions

when to plant warrigal greens in Sydney

Sow direct from October through December once the soil warms, with a second sowing possible in the milder late-summer window of January to March. Warrigal greens love Sydney's warm season and will crop for months. Avoid sowing into cold winter soil, where the seed simply sits.

why won't my warrigal greens seeds germinate

The seed is enclosed in a hard corky capsule that repels water, so germination is naturally slow at 14–21 days. Soak the capsules overnight before sowing and keep the bed consistently moist. Give it the full three weeks before deciding it has failed.

are warrigal greens safe to eat raw

No. Warrigal greens are high in oxalates, so blanch the leaves in boiling water for about a minute and tip the water away before eating. Cooked this way they are a fine spinach substitute.

how far apart to plant warrigal greens

Space plants 30–50 cm apart with rows about 60 cm, as each plant spreads into a wide sprawling mat. Give them room and they will cover the ground and suppress weeds.

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