When to plant watermelons in Alice Springs: 27 July – 25 February

In Alice Springs, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 8 June to 28 January; plant into a greenhouse from 6 July to 25 February; plant out into open ground from 27 July to 25 February.

Watermelon in Alice Springs: soil, season and weather

In Alice Springs the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 4 July, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 27 July, 23 days later.

Last spring frost	4 July
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	27 July, 23 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	6 July – 25 February; July outside: 6.7 °C at night, 20.4 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	5 June, 314 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	24 September – 24 April
Days left for picking	255
Daylight	10:41 on 29 June, 10:57 on 27 July
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 1 rainy day

The same dates in Alice Springs hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Zucchini and Pumpkin.

Watermelon in Alice Springs: care after planting

Planted on 27 July: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

Feeding, by the card’s schedule from that day:

27 July — feed: balanced (NPK)

Pests and diseases of watermelon to watch for:

Dates count from the first planting day of the window above; a later planting moves them by as many days.

Weather in Alice Springs during the watermelon season

Days average above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C in December (35.5 °C), January (36.1 °C) and February (35.5 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in April–October (6.7–17.2 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
July	20.4	6.7	2	1	10:48
August	23.4	9.1	5	1	11:17
September	27.3	12.9	14	3	11:56
October	31.7	17.2	13	2	12:37
November	33	19.5	41	6	13:15
December	35.5	22.3	38	5	13:35
January	36.1	23.5	57	6	13:26
February	35.5	22.1	15	2	12:53
March	33.3	20.4	48	5	12:15
April	28.6	15.1	5	1	11:33
May	22.6	9.8	21	1	10:59
June	19.5	7	10	2	10:41

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant watermelon later than Alice Springs; the closest date is in Dubbo, 75 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Dubbo	1,729 km	10 October – 9 March	75 days later
Bendigo	1,761 km	16 November – 9 March	112 days later
Ballarat	1,811 km	18 December – 9 March	144 days later
Orange	1,827 km	21 November – 3 March	117 days later
Albury	1,860 km	9 November – 10 March	105 days later
Geelong	1,890 km	from 23 November	119 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Alice Springs

Buy plants ready to set out from 27 July to 25 February (from 6 July to 25 February for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 8 June to 28 January. Within 15 km of Alice Springs OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre (collected 28 October 2026).

Alice Springs Nursery — garden centre
6 km

Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

Questions