Best time to plant purslane in Melbourne
Portulaca oleracea
Also called common purslane, pursley, little hogweed
Sow purslane in Melbourne in Oct 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 Melbourne
Melbourne, VIC is in the cool zone. Its months for purslane 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 Melbourne
Frost usually arrives in Melbourne around mid June and finishes by late August. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as late May or as late as late September, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.
From the average of its 2 Bureau of Meteorology stations, 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.