When to plant watermelons in Orange: 21 November – 3 March

In Orange, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 3 October to 4 February; plant into a greenhouse from 31 October to 3 March; plant out into open ground from 21 November to 3 March. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include The Rural Centre Pty Ltd (farm supply, 1 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Orange: soil, season and weather

In Orange the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 24 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 21 November, 89 days later.

Last spring frost	24 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	21 November, 89 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	31 October – 3 March; October outside: 9.1 °C at night, 19 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	12 June, 204 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	19 January – 1 May
Days left for picking	145
Daylight	13:10 on 24 October, 13:59 on 21 November
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, February, has 6 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Orange: care after planting

Planted on 21 November: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

21 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 Orange during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, January, averages 27.5 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: May (14.3 °C) and June (10.9 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4.1 °C to 16.6 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
November	22	11.4	93	10	13:50
December	25.6	14.1	81	8	14:20
January	27.5	16.6	68	10	14:07
February	26.1	15.2	52	6	13:17
March	23.8	13.8	63	9	12:20
April	19.2	10.1	61	6	11:17
May	14.3	6.6	54	7	10:25
June	10.9	4.1	71	10	9:58

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Orange, Dubbo is 42 days earlier and Ballarat 27 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Dubbo	123 km	10 October – 9 March	42 days earlier
Canberra	222 km	26 November – 18 February	5 days later
Albury	369 km	9 November – 10 March	12 days earlier
Bendigo	585 km	16 November – 9 March	5 days earlier
Melbourne	628 km	12 November – 15 March	9 days earlier
Ballarat	673 km	18 December – 9 March	27 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Orange

Buy plants ready to set out from 21 November to 3 March (from 31 October to 3 March for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 3 October to 4 February. Within 15 km of Orange OpenStreetMap lists 2 farm-supply shops (collected 20 October 2026).

The Rural Centre Pty Ltd — farm supply
Lords Place 154-158, 2800 · 1 km · crt.com.au
Sunnycrest Orchards Pty Ltd — farm supply
8 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