When to plant onion in Cairns
Cairns is frost-free, so onion's dates key off the local wet and dry seasons and monthly temperatures — not a frost date.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Jan 16 – Sep 1
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Apr 16 – Dec 20
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
90 – 110 d
From sowing to first pick.
Common questions
When can I sow onion outdoors in Cairns?
Direct-sow around mid January (Jan 16–Sep 1) in Cairns, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 67%.
When will onion be ready to harvest in Cairns?
Expect to harvest from around mid April (Apr 16–Dec 20) in Cairns, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 60%.
The rule of thumb
Cairns never frosts, so timing is about heat and the wet/dry seasons, not frost. Sow onion into its window above and keep it watered. Every date here is modelled from Cairns's monthly climate normals, not frost dates.
Confidence 67/100 · Curated · based on NASA POWER (modeled) 1991–2020 · modelled from climate normals.