Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Planting calendar for Melbourne
Melbourne has no dependable frost in the record, so the growing year here is bounded by heat and rain rather than by cold. Each crop below is timed from the local temperature record instead — the months within its temperature range. These windows do not model rainfall, humidity, drainage or cultivar needs; check those before planting.
Last spring frost
No frost
No dependable spring frost date in the reference record.
First autumn frost
No frost
Watch local forecasts for unusual cold spells.
Frost-free season
All year
No frost on record
There is no risk dial on this page. The dial moves dates between frost percentiles, and Melbourne has no frost in its record to take percentiles of, so every crop below is timed from temperature instead.
Sow this week in Melbourne
Windows that are open today, 26 September. The ones marked in amber are closing within a fortnight.
Opening soon
Sow this week in Melbourne
Windows that are open today, 26 September. The ones marked in amber are closing within a fortnight.
Opening soon
Sow this week in Melbourne
Windows that are open today, 26 September. The ones marked in amber are closing within a fortnight.
Opening soon
The growing year in Melbourne
307 crops, timed to the dates above
Each bar is a model window, not a deadline. Windows for crops needing a winter suitability check are conditional; open the crop page before planting. Unverified flowering and harvest predictions are withheld. Tap or hover a bar for its dates, or follow a crop name for the full timing and a harvest estimate. The blue wash is the measured weekly chance of frost across the whole record. There is also a printable one-page version of this calendar for the shed wall.
The climate behind these dates
Mean monthly temperature across the record. Months shown in blue average at least one air frost.
Nearby
Frost dates close to Melbourne
Questions about frost in Melbourne
What hardiness zone is Melbourne in?
Melbourne sits in USDA-equivalent zone 10b, based on a mean annual extreme minimum of 2.8°C (37°F). Perennials rated to this zone or lower should survive an average winter here.
Can I trust these dates exactly?
They are statistics, not forecasts. They describe what happened across 29 years of records at this location and say nothing about this particular spring. Frost is also intensely local: a low-lying or exposed garden can run a week behind the figures on this page.
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Melbourne
November has the highest average precipitation (74 mm); January has the lowest (45 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Frost-free does not mean every month is suitable. In tropical and monsoon climates, rainfall, heat, drainage and the cultivar can set the practical growing season. Match the temperature window to these conditions and check advice from a local grower before buying planting material.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.