How to grow Carob in Australia
A Mediterranean evergreen that loves heat and dry, suits Adelaide, Perth and inland warm gardens. Very drought tough once established.
At a glance
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Sun: Full sun
- Water: 8 litres a week, watered every 5 days
- Spacing: 600 cm
- Time to harvest: 1825 days (about 5 years)
- Time to germinate: 14 days
- Soil pH: 6 to 8
- Frost tolerance: Half hardy
When to sow by region
| Region | When to sow | Regional note |
|---|---|---|
| South East Queensland | September to November | |
| Northern Rivers NSW | September to November | |
| Sydney & Coastal NSW | September to November | |
| Melbourne & Victoria | October and November | Marginal. Plant Oct to Nov in the hottest, driest sheltered spot. Pods only ripen after a long warm summer. |
| Adelaide & SA | March and April, September and October | Plant Mar to Apr or Sep to Oct. Adelaide is ideal carob country; established trees need no summer watering. |
| Perth & WA | March and April, September and October | Plant Mar to Apr ahead of the winter rains, or Sep to Oct. Very drought tough once established. |
| Tasmania | Not suited | Unsuitable. Needs long hot dry summers, and frost kills young trees. |
| Canberra & ACT | Not suited | Not reliable. Hard Canberra frosts kill young trees and the season is too short to ripen pods. |
| North Queensland | Not suited | Not reliable. Wet season humidity rots roots and spoils pod set. Carob wants a dry Mediterranean summer. |
| Darwin & Top End | Not suited | Not reliable. Wet season humidity and heavy rain rot roots and spoil pod set. |
Harvest and storage
Storage
Dried pods keep for months.