When to plant watermelons in Hamilton (New Zealand): 3 December – 5 March

In Hamilton (New Zealand), watermelon: sow for seedlings from 15 October to 6 February; plant into a greenhouse from 12 November to 5 March; plant out into open ground from 3 December to 5 March. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include The Potting Shed (garden centre, 2 km) and The Plant Place (garden centre, 3 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Hamilton (New Zealand): soil, season and weather

In Hamilton (New Zealand) the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 6 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 3 December, 119 days later.

Last spring frost	6 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	3 December, 119 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	12 November – 5 March; November outside: 12 °C at night, 20.6 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	14 June, 194 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	31 January – 3 May
Days left for picking	135
Daylight	13:49 on 5 November, 14:36 on 3 December
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, March, has 9 rainy days

The same dates in Hamilton (New Zealand) hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Zucchini and Pumpkin.

Watermelon in Hamilton (New Zealand): care after planting

Planted on 3 December: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

3 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 Hamilton (New Zealand) during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, February, averages 24.8 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: May (17.2 °C) and June (15.1 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 7.7 °C to 15.4 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
December	22.7	13.9	113	13	14:45
January	24.2	15.2	90	10	14:29
February	24.8	15.4	86	9	13:30
March	22.6	13.6	80	9	12:22
April	20	11.6	103	10	11:08
May	17.2	9.2	102	12	10:07
June	15.1	7.7	110	12	9:34

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Hamilton (New Zealand), Napier is 30 days earlier and Wellington 14 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Tauranga	79 km	from 4 December	1 day later
Rotorua	94 km	10 December – 14 February	7 days later
Napier	237 km	from 3 November	30 days earlier
Gisborne	259 km	from 7 November	26 days earlier
Palmerston North	288 km	4 December – 11 March	1 day later
Wellington	393 km	from 17 December	14 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Hamilton (New Zealand)

Buy plants ready to set out from 3 December to 5 March (from 12 November to 5 March for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 15 October to 6 February. Within 15 km of Hamilton (New Zealand) OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops, 2 plant nurseries, 1 market and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026).

The Potting Shed — garden centre
Grey Street 2/394, 3216 Hamilton · Mon–Fri 10:00–16:00; Sat 10:00–14:00; Sun closed · 2 km
Plant Depot — garden centre
Te Rapa Road 785 · 5 km · theplantdepot.co.nz
Palmers — garden centre
Mon–Sun 08:30–17:00 · 6 km · palmersplanet.co.nz
The Plant Place — garden centre
Alison Street 78 · 3 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.

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