Best time to plant purslane in Canberra
Portulaca oleracea
Also called common purslane, pursley, little hogweed
Sow purslane in Canberra in Dec to Jan.
Purslane is a succulent plant that can be eaten whole, raw or cooked, since every part is edible. Around 40 cultivars are grown, and cultivated forms tend to be more robust with bigger seeds. It should not be confused with winter purslane, a plant from another family.
When to sow in Canberra
Canberra, ACT is in the cool zone. The zone also plants in Oct to Nov, but Canberra's frost dates make those months risky for a frost-tender crop.
Not yet checked against a local guide.
Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.
Frost in Canberra
Frost usually arrives in Canberra around early April and finishes by early November. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as mid March or as late as late November, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.
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: can spread
Self-seeds freely. Harvest before it sets seed so it stays out of neighbouring plots.
Growing details
- How to start
- Sow directly in the bed
- Sowing depth
- 3mm
- Plant spacing
- 60cm
- Row spacing
- 5cm
- Height
- 30cm
- Germination
- 7-10 days at 15-35°C
- Time to harvest
- 50-60 days
- Frost
- Frost tender
- Sun
- Full sun
- Life cycle
- annual
These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.