Best time to plant watermelon in Melbourne
Citrullus lanatus
Sow watermelon in Melbourne in Oct to Dec.
A sprawling, frost-tender vine grown for its large, sweet, juicy fruit. It needs a long, hot season, plenty of room and steady water while the fruit swells.
When to sow in Melbourne
Melbourne, VIC is in the cool zone. The zone also plants in Sep, but Melbourne's frost dates make those months risky for a frost-tender crop.
Broadly matches local guides, with some differences.
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: needs a lot of room
Vines wander well beyond a small bed. Train them back into your plot, and ask your coordinator if space is tight.
Growing details
- How to start
- Sow directly in the bed
- Sowing depth
- 25-38mm
- Plant spacing
- 90-120cm
- Row spacing
- 125cm
- Germination
- 10-14 days at 27-32°C
- Time to harvest
- 85 days
- Frost
- Frost tender
- Sun
- Full sun
- Life cycle
- annual
These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.