Melbourne in January: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, January in Melbourne has run 15.8–26.6°C with about 68 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 January 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. Temperatures hold steady through the month.
Sow this month — when would you harvest?
Assuming you sow in mid-January, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 🥢 Yardlong bean | 322 | Dec 2 |
| 🥒 Cucumber | 290 | Oct 31 |
| 🫛 Edamame | 266 | Oct 7 |
| 🎃 Pumpkin | 252 | Sep 23 |
| 🌿 Amaranth greens | 53 | Mar 8 |
| 🌻 Sunflower | 87 | Apr 11 |
| 🧅 Onion | 69 | Mar 24 |
| 🏵️ Marigold | 45 | Feb 28 |
| 🌿 Garlic chives | 55 | Mar 10 |
| 🥕 Carrot | 58 | Mar 13 |
| 🥬 Swiss chard | 41 | Feb 24 |
| 🥬 Bok Choy | 29 | Feb 12 |
🌡️ 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.
- 🥢 Yardlong bean about 107 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Cucumber about 93 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🫛 Edamame about 108 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🎃 Pumpkin about 103 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Amaranth greens about 50 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌻 Sunflower about 76 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🧅 Onion about 65 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🏵️ Marigold about 43 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Garlic chives about 53 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥕 Carrot about 56 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Swiss chard about 40 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Bok Choy about 28 days to harvest Recent mean 21.2°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌿 Rocket — 29 day(s) of heat stress
- 🌿 Spinach — 25 day(s) of heat stress
- 🫛 Peas — Recent mean 21.2°C is too hot (ideal 7–21°C)
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.