Growing Pigface (Karkalla) in Australia: The Complete Guide

Pigface (Karkalla) is an easy native bush food to grow, needing full sun with low, drought and salt tolerant watering.

We get asked about pigface often enough that it's worth setting out the full picture here, beyond what fits on our printable card.

Before the how-to, a word on why pigface is worth growing in the first place. At a glance, it's rated easy, with a sun of full sun; water of low, drought and salt tolerant; soil ph of 5.5–8.5 — details that matter more once you're actually planning around them than they do on a first read. The rest of this article works through exactly what each of those means day to day, in more depth than a single printable card has room for, and with the reasoning behind each recommendation rather than just the recommendation itself.

Climate and Timing Considerations

Pigface is one of the more forgiving natives on this site when it comes to climate — its natural range runs along the southern Australian coastline, so it's built to handle salt spray, wind, and poor sandy soil. Cool Temperate and Mediterranean zones match its native range most closely. Warm Temperate and Subtropical zones both work well too, with only the coldest snaps in Cool Temperate inland areas requiring frost protection for young plants. Our site-wide zone setting adjusts the advisory note shown on the Planting Calendar for exactly this reason — worth setting once if you haven't already. The same zone setting also feeds the Harvest Calendar, so both ends of the growing cycle reflect wherever you actually garden, rather than a generic Australia-wide average.

• Cool Temperate & Mediterranean (TAS, VIC, southern NSW, Adelaide, Perth): matches this plant's natural coastal range most closely.
• Warm Temperate & Subtropical (Sydney, Brisbane, coastal NSW/QLD): grows well here too, with essentially no frost concerns.
• Inland Cool Temperate areas: the one place to watch — protect young plants through hard frosts until established.

Both leaves and fruit are edible

A dual-purpose coastal succulent — the fig-like fruit is edible fresh or in jams, and the salty, tangy leaves work well pickled or added fresh to salads, well suited to a low-water homestead planting.

How to Plant Pigface (Karkalla)

Method. Plant from a nursery pot, or strike easily from stem cuttings.

Soil. Adaptable — sandy, clay, or lime-rich coastal soil all work well.

Timing. Plant in spring or autumn.

Taken together, these are the details that separate a smooth result from a frustrating one.

Ongoing Care

Worth paying attention to:

• Water while establishing; drought and salt tolerant once settled in.
• Let it spread — this is a natural trailing groundcover habit.
• No feeding needed — it thrives in poor, sandy soil.
• Trim back if it spreads further than wanted; it roots readily where stems touch soil.

Getting these details right matters more than it might seem — letting it spread naturally rather than fighting the habit, while trimming back before it takes over a bed. Treat this list as a routine to build rather than a one-off checklist, and it becomes second nature within a season or two.

Common Problems

Keep these points in mind:

• Very few pests — a hardy, trouble-free native.
• Waterlogging — the main risk; ensure sharp drainage.
• Spreading too far — vigorous; trim to keep it contained.
• Frost in the coldest zones — protect young plants in cold areas.

Each of these compounds over a season — small misses early tend to show up later — unchecked spreading is the most common surprise, since this plant roots wherever a stem touches soil. Waterlogging is the one way to lose it despite its overall toughness. Treat this list as a routine to build rather than a one-off checklist, and it becomes second nature within a season or two.

When and How to Harvest

Signs. Fruit softens and turns reddish-purple, usually through summer.

Method. Pick by hand once soft; leaves can be picked any time.

Curing. None needed — good eaten fresh, or made into jam.

Storage. Fridge a few days; fruit pulp freezes well for later use.

It's worth reading these as a set rather than in isolation; they reinforce each other.

Preserving. See Dehydrating for long-term storage, or Freezing Produce for a harvest surplus.

Companions & rotation

Our printable card above lists specific plants that pair well nearby and others best avoided, along with a rotation note: Other coastal/salt-tolerant natives, Poorly drained, wet spots. Getting this right matters more over multiple seasons than it does in any single one — the benefits and the risks of poor rotation both compound over time rather than showing up immediately.

Related Guides

If pigface suits your garden, these related guides in the same category are worth a look too:

• Old Man Saltbush
• Muntries
• Native Pepperberry
• Warrigal Greens

For the condensed, printable version of everything above, head to the main pigface guide page. Companion planting and bed rotation both make a measurable difference over a season, and our Companion Planting Checker takes the guesswork out of both. As with every guide on this site, this is general information based on our own research and experience, not professional advice — your specific soil, climate, and circumstances will always vary from ours to some degree.

Beyond the printable card, our Planting Calendar and Harvest Calendar tools will show a zone-adjusted note for pigface specifically, and the Companion Planting Checker covers the specific pairings mentioned above in more detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

→ View the printable A4 guide for pigface