Best time to plant luffa in Ipswich
Luffa species
Also called loofah, loofa, Chinese okra
Sow luffa in Ipswich in Oct to Mar.
Eaten young as a vegetable, luffa is the fruit of a vine in the pumpkin and gourd family. Once fully ripe it turns too fibrous for the table, but the mature fruit can be processed down to its fibre network and used as a sponge for the bath or kitchen.
When to sow in Ipswich
Ipswich, QLD is in the subtropical zone. The zone also plants in Aug to Sep, but Ipswich's frost dates make those months risky for a frost-tender crop.
Matches local guides.
Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.
Frost in Ipswich
Frost usually arrives in Ipswich around late May and finishes by late August. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as mid May or as late as mid September, 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: needs a lot of room
A big climber that needs a strong frame. Check where its shade will fall.
Growing details
- How to start
- Raise seedlings, then transplant
- Sowing depth
- 15mm
- Plant spacing
- 50cm
- Row spacing
- 25cm
- Height
- 900cm
- Germination
- 14-21 days at 25-30°C
- Frost
- Frost tender
- Sun
- Full sun
- Life cycle
- annual
These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.