When to plant lemongrass in Sha Tin

Why these dates

Plant divisions or rooted stems two weeks after the last frost. Harvest whole stems from the outside of the clump from midsummer, cutting at ground level.

Damaged at about 2C and killed by any real frost. Below zone 9 it will not overwinter outdoors, but a pot cut back to 15cm keeps easily in a cool bright room.

Lemongrass are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Sha Tin has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Sha Tin is zone 11a, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

See every crop timed for Sha Tin →