When to plant watermelons in Bendigo: 16 November – 9 March

In Bendigo, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 28 September to 10 February; plant into a greenhouse from 26 October to 9 March; plant out into open ground from 16 November to 9 March. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Macdonald’s Nursery (garden centre, 3 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Bendigo: soil, season and weather

In Bendigo the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 16 July, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 16 November, 123 days later.

Last spring frost	16 July
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	16 November, 123 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	26 October – 9 March; October outside: 8.8 °C at night, 19.8 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	18 June, 215 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	14 January – 7 May
Days left for picking	156
Daylight	13:08 on 19 October, 14:06 on 16 November
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, February, has 3 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Bendigo: care after planting

Planted on 16 November: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

16 November — 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 Bendigo during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, January, averages 30 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: May (15.8 °C) and June (12.4 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 5.3 °C to 16 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
November	23.3	11.2	65	9	14:04
December	27.2	13.5	45	6	14:39
January	30	16	47	6	14:24
February	28.5	15	22	3	13:27
March	26.4	14	33	5	12:22
April	20.9	10.6	58	5	11:10
May	15.8	7.4	49	6	10:11
June	12.4	5.3	58	9	9:39

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Bendigo, Albury is 7 days earlier and Ballarat 32 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Ballarat	98 km	18 December – 9 March	32 days later
Melbourne	131 km	12 November – 15 March	4 days earlier
Geelong	155 km	from 23 November	7 days later
Albury	248 km	9 November – 10 March	7 days earlier
Canberra	466 km	26 November – 18 February	10 days later
Devonport	523 km	12 December – 16 March	26 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Bendigo

Buy plants ready to set out from 16 November to 9 March (from 26 October to 9 March for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 28 September to 10 February. Within 15 km of Bendigo OpenStreetMap lists 3 garden centres and 1 farm-supply shop (collected 20 October 2026).

Macdonald’s Nursery — garden centre
Retreat Road 88 · 3 km · macdonaldsnursery.com.au
ASQ Garden & Landscape — garden centre
5 km
Goldfields Native Nursery — garden centre
7 km
Australian Shearing Supplies — farm supply
11 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