When to plant watermelons in Launceston: 13 December – 27 February

In Launceston, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 25 October to 30 January; plant into a greenhouse from 22 November to 27 February; plant out into open ground from 13 December to 27 February. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include TasHerd Pty Ltd (farm supply, 9 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Launceston: soil, season and weather

In Launceston the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 28 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 13 December, 107 days later.

Last spring frost	28 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	13 December, 107 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	22 November – 27 February; November outside: 9.1 °C at night, 19.3 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	7 June, 177 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	10 February – 26 April
Days left for picking	118
Daylight	14:27 on 15 November, 15:08 on 13 December
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, February, has 7 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Launceston: care after planting

Planted on 13 December: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

13 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 Launceston during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, January, averages 24.7 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: April (17.8 °C), May (14.3 °C) and June (11.9 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4.7 °C to 13 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
December	21.9	10.8	64	9	15:09
January	24.7	13	64	9	14:50
February	23.3	12.2	55	7	13:42
March	21.7	11.3	55	7	12:25
April	17.8	8.8	57	7	11:00
May	14.3	6.4	63	9	9:50
June	11.9	4.7	74	9	9:12

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Launceston, Albury is 34 days earlier and Ballarat 5 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Devonport	71 km	12 December – 16 March	1 day earlier
Geelong	436 km	from 23 November	20 days earlier
Melbourne	444 km	12 November – 15 March	31 days earlier
Ballarat	514 km	18 December – 9 March	5 days later
Bendigo	575 km	16 November – 9 March	27 days earlier
Albury	597 km	9 November – 10 March	34 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Launceston

Buy plants ready to set out from 13 December to 27 February (from 22 November to 27 February for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 25 October to 30 January. Within 15 km of Launceston OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery and 1 market (collected 20 October 2026).

TasHerd Pty Ltd — farm supply
Main Street 16, 7290 · 9 km
Launceston Harvest Market — market
Cimitiere Street 71, 7250 · Sat 08:30–12:30 · 1 km · harvestmarket.org.au
Glebe Gardens — garden centre
3 km
Driscoll's Nursery — plant nursery
15 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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