Growing in Cairns

Best time to plant rhubarb in Cairns

Rheum rhabarbarum

Also called culinary rhubarb

Sow rhubarb in Cairns in Jun to Sep.

Only the fleshy leaf stalks of rhubarb are used as food, and they are cooked first. The big triangular leaves are poisonous and should not be eaten. This herbaceous perennial springs from stout, short rhizomes and carries large sprays of small flowers coloured from rose-red to greenish-white.

When to sow in Cairns

Cairns, QLD is in the tropical zone. Its months for rhubarb apply here without a frost adjustment.

Not yet checked against a local guide.

Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.

Frost in Cairns

Cairns frosts in fewer than 1 year in 10, so frost doesn't hold back any planting here.

From its Bureau of Meteorology station, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.

On a shared plot: stays for years

Holds its spot for years. Check your garden's rules and how long your plot licence runs.

Growing details

How to start
Sow directly or raise seedlings
Sowing depth
12mm
Plant spacing
75cm
Row spacing
92cm
Height
75cm
Germination
7-14 days at 20-23°C
Time to harvest
365 days
Frost
Hardy, takes a light frost
Sun
Full sun
Life cycle
perennial

These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.

Rhubarb elsewhere

Rhubarb across Australia