Melbourne in December: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, December in Melbourne has run 12.8–23.8°C with about 70 mm of rain across the month. Here is what weather like that will carry to harvest.
Everything above is a five-year average. In the game it is this — the weather Melbourne is actually having, today.
Grow one in Melbourne's weather right now →❄️ No sub-zero nights in December in the last 5 years — frost is not the limiting factor here.
🗓️ Frost is rare and confined to midwinter (recorded around Jul 12). Most of the year is frost-free; only the coldest weeks need cover.
☀️ About 11.4 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it warms by about 1.3°C from the first ten days to the last.
Sow this month — when would you harvest?
Assuming you sow in mid-December, then adding up the warmth Melbourne usually gets, one day at a time — which is why some of these run past the end of the month.
| Crop | Days | Harvest around |
|---|---|---|
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | 87 | Mar 11 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | 64 | Feb 16 |
| 🥢 Green Beans | 59 | Feb 11 |
| 🌿 Amaranth greens | 54 | Feb 6 |
| 🌻 Sunflower | 82 | Mar 6 |
| 🥬 Celery | 85 | Mar 9 |
| 🥔 Potato | 68 | Feb 20 |
| 🧅 Leek | 71 | Feb 23 |
| 🥬 Cabbage | 65 | Feb 17 |
| 🧅 Onion | 69 | Feb 21 |
| 🏵️ Marigold | 46 | Jan 29 |
| 🌿 Parsley | 55 | Feb 7 |
🌡️ Winter melon never accumulate enough heat outdoors in Melbourne — not in any month. Locally these need a greenhouse or a warm windowsill.
Best crops to sow now
They are all ideal for this month — the only real difference is how long each one takes, so pick whatever you want to eat.
- 🌽 Sweet Corn about 109 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Zucchini about 79 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥢 Green Beans about 73 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Amaranth greens about 67 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌻 Sunflower about 98 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Celery about 97 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥔 Potato about 80 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🧅 Leek about 81 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Cabbage about 74 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🧅 Onion about 80 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🏵️ Marigold about 54 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Parsley about 62 days to harvest Recent mean 18.3°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌿 Rocket — 16 day(s) of heat stress
- 🌶️ Okra — Recent mean 18.3°C is too cold (ideal 20–33°C)
- 🍈 Winter melon — Too little heat to ever mature at current temperatures
Other months in Melbourne
📍 Somewhere else? Look up your own city →
Temperature and rainfall come from Open-Meteo's historical observations for Melbourne, averaged day by day over the last 5 years. Whether a crop finishes in time is worked out from its own starting temperature and heat requirement — those numbers are listed on each crop page if you want to check them.