When to plant watermelons in Palmerston North: 4 December – 11 March

In Palmerston North, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 16 October to 12 February; plant into a greenhouse from 13 November to 11 March; plant out into open ground from 4 December to 11 March. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Innerwell Nursery (garden centre, 11 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Palmerston North: soil, season and weather

In Palmerston North the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 11 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 4 December, 115 days later.

Last spring frost	11 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	4 December, 115 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	13 November – 11 March; November outside: 11.4 °C at night, 19.4 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	20 June, 199 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	1 February – 9 May
Days left for picking	140
Daylight	14:02 on 6 November, 14:53 on 4 December
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, January, has 10 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Palmerston North: care after planting

Planted on 4 December: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

4 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 Palmerston North during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, February, averages 23.3 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: May (16.2 °C) and June (14 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 7.2 °C to 14.4 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
December	21.4	13.3	124	14	15:02
January	22.9	14.4	80	10	14:44
February	23.3	14.2	80	8	13:38
March	21.1	12.6	81	10	12:24
April	18.7	10.7	96	11	11:02
May	16.2	8.8	105	13	9:55
June	14	7.2	89	12	9:18

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Palmerston North, Napier is 31 days earlier and Nelson 16 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Wellington	125 km	from 17 December	13 days later
Napier	147 km	from 3 November	31 days earlier
Blenheim	189 km	11 December – 19 February	7 days later
Nelson	221 km	20 December – 11 March	16 days later
Rotorua	253 km	10 December – 14 February	6 days later
Gisborne	280 km	from 7 November	27 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Palmerston North

Buy plants ready to set out from 4 December to 11 March (from 13 November to 11 March for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 16 October to 12 February. Within 15 km of Palmerston North OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery and 1 market (collected 20 October 2026).

Albert Street Market (Saturday) — market
2 km
Innerwell Nursery — garden centre
Raukawa Road 25, 4470 Palmerston North · 11 km
Oderings — garden centre
1 km
Awapuni Nurseries — plant nursery
5 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