When to plant watermelons in Ballarat: 18 December – 9 March

In Ballarat, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 30 October to 10 February; plant into a greenhouse from 27 November to 9 March; plant out into open ground from 18 December to 9 March.

Watermelon in Ballarat: soil, season and weather

In Ballarat the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 20 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 18 December, 120 days later.

Last spring frost	20 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	18 December, 120 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	27 November – 9 March; November outside: 9.4 °C at night, 19.4 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	18 June, 183 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	15 February – 7 May
Days left for picking	124
Daylight	14:17 on 20 November, 14:45 on 18 December
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, February, has 4 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Ballarat: care after planting

Planted on 18 December: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

18 December — 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 Ballarat during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, January, averages 25.9 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: April (17.8 °C), May (13.4 °C) and June (10.4 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4.7 °C to 13.5 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
December	22.8	11.1	51	8	14:44
January	25.9	13.5	51	7	14:28
February	24.4	12.7	24	4	13:29
March	22.5	12.1	39	6	12:22
April	17.8	9.4	55	7	11:08
May	13.4	6.7	61	11	10:08
June	10.4	4.7	61	11	9:35

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant watermelon earlier than Ballarat; the closest date is in Launceston, 5 days earlier.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Geelong	79 km	from 23 November	25 days earlier
Bendigo	98 km	16 November – 9 March	32 days earlier
Melbourne	101 km	12 November – 15 March	36 days earlier
Albury	320 km	9 November – 10 March	39 days earlier
Devonport	455 km	12 December – 16 March	6 days earlier
Launceston	514 km	13 December – 27 February	5 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Ballarat

Buy plants ready to set out from 18 December to 9 March (from 27 November to 9 March for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 30 October to 10 February. Within 15 km of Ballarat OpenStreetMap lists 3 garden centres, 4 farm-supply shops, 2 plant nurseries and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026).

Spot On Pots — garden centre
3 km
Gays Hardware — garden centre
3 km
Botanical Gardens Nursery — plant nursery
4 km
Growing Friends Nursery — plant nursery
4 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