When to plant watermelons in Gisborne: from 7 November

In Gisborne, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 19 September; plant into a greenhouse from 17 October; plant out into open ground from 7 November. There is no autumn frost here, so the frost dates set no end to the window.

Watermelon in Gisborne: soil, season and weather

In Gisborne 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 7 November, 126 days later. Gisborne has no autumn frost in the median year, so frost does not end the season.

Last spring frost	4 July
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	7 November, 126 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	from 17 October; October outside: 10.4 °C at night, 19.5 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	from 5 January
Daylight	12:51 on 10 October, 13:57 on 7 November
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, January, has 12 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Gisborne: care after planting

Planted on 7 November: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

7 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 Gisborne during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, January, averages 24.6 °C. Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 11.9 °C to 16 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
November	21.8	12.9	96	12	14:13
December	23.9	14.9	107	12	14:51
January	24.6	15.8	82	12	14:34
February	24.6	16	109	9	13:33
March	22.4	14.2	96	12	12:23
April	20.3	11.9	82	10	11:06

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Gisborne, Napier is 4 days earlier and Wellington 40 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Napier	133 km	from 3 November	4 days earlier
Rotorua	165 km	10 December – 14 February	33 days later
Tauranga	194 km	from 4 December	27 days later
Hamilton (New Zealand)	259 km	3 December – 5 March	26 days later
Palmerston North	280 km	4 December – 11 March	27 days later
Wellington	402 km	from 17 December	40 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Gisborne

Buy plants ready to set out from 7 November (from 17 October for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 19 September. Within 15 km of Gisborne OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Touchstone — garden centre
1 km
Farmlands Gisborne — farm shop
1 km

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