Melbourne in March: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, March in Melbourne has run 14.2–24.0°C with about 57 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 March 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 9.6 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it cools by about 2.8°C from the first ten days to the last — the window for autumn sowings is opening.
Sow this month — when would you harvest?
Assuming you sow in mid-March, 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 | 267 | Dec 6 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | 224 | Oct 24 |
| 🥢 Green Beans | 214 | Oct 14 |
| 🌿 Amaranth greens | 200 | Sep 30 |
| 🌻 Sunflower | 212 | Oct 12 |
| 🥔 Potato | 158 | Aug 19 |
| 🧅 Onion | 127 | Jul 19 |
| 🏵️ Marigold | 72 | May 25 |
| 🌿 Garlic chives | 88 | Jun 10 |
| 🥕 Carrot | 90 | Jun 12 |
| 🟣 Beetroot | 58 | May 11 |
| 🍓 Strawberry | 63 | May 16 |
🌡️ Winter melon, Okra 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 99 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Zucchini about 72 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥢 Green Beans about 66 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Amaranth greens about 61 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌻 Sunflower about 91 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥔 Potato about 75 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🧅 Onion about 75 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🏵️ Marigold about 50 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Garlic chives about 61 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥕 Carrot about 63 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🟣 Beetroot about 47 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍓 Strawberry about 50 days to harvest Recent mean 19.1°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌿 Rocket — 12 day(s) of heat stress
- 🌿 Spinach — 11 day(s) of heat stress
- 🌶️ Okra — Recent mean 19.1°C is too cold (ideal 20–33°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.