When to Plant Bitter Melon in California
California spans USDA hardiness 5b to 11a (zones 5b to 11a on this page). Plant bitter melon by your local frost date, not the calendar — pick your zone below for exact start-indoors, transplant, and harvest dates.
Jump to: Zone 5b · Zone 6a · Zone 6b · Zone 7a · Zone 7b · Zone 8a · Zone 8b · Zone 9a · Zone 9b · Zone 10a · Zone 10b · Zone 11a
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 5b
Average last spring frost
April 30
Average first fall frost
October 5
Start seeds indoors
Apr 2
Transplant outdoors
May 14
Projected first harvest
Jul 23
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days. Full zone 5 guide (both 5a and 5b) →
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 6a
Average last spring frost
April 25
Average first fall frost
October 10
Start seeds indoors
Mar 28
Transplant outdoors
May 9
Projected first harvest
Jul 18
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 6b
Average last spring frost
April 20
Average first fall frost
October 15
Start seeds indoors
Mar 23
Transplant outdoors
May 4
Projected first harvest
Jul 13
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 7a
Average last spring frost
April 15
Average first fall frost
October 20
Start seeds indoors
Mar 18
Transplant outdoors
Apr 29
Projected first harvest
Jul 8
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 7b
Average last spring frost
April 10
Average first fall frost
October 30
Start seeds indoors
Mar 13
Transplant outdoors
Apr 24
Projected first harvest
Jul 3
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 8a
Average last spring frost
April 1
Average first fall frost
November 10
Start seeds indoors
Mar 4
Transplant outdoors
Apr 15
Projected first harvest
Jun 24
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days. Full zone 8 guide (both 8a and 8b) →
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 8b
Average last spring frost
March 20
Average first fall frost
November 20
Start seeds indoors
Feb 20
Transplant outdoors
Apr 3
Projected first harvest
Jun 12
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days. Full zone 8 guide (both 8a and 8b) →
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 9a
Average last spring frost
March 1
Average first fall frost
December 1
Start seeds indoors
Feb 1
Transplant outdoors
Mar 15
Projected first harvest
May 24
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days. Full zone 9 guide (both 9a and 9b) →
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 9b
Average last spring frost
February 15
Average first fall frost
December 15
Start seeds indoors
Jan 18
Transplant outdoors
Mar 1
Projected first harvest
May 10
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days. Full zone 9 guide (both 9a and 9b) →
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 10a
Average last spring frost
January 30
Average first fall frost
December 30
Start seeds indoors
Jan 2
Transplant outdoors
Feb 13
Projected first harvest
Apr 24
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days. Full zone 10 guide (both 10a and 10b) →
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 10b
Average last spring frost
January 30
Average first fall frost
December 30
Start seeds indoors
Jan 2
Transplant outdoors
Feb 13
Projected first harvest
Apr 24
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days. Full zone 10 guide (both 10a and 10b) →
Bitter Melon planting calendar for California, Zone 11a
Zone 11a doesn't get a seasonal frost — bitter melon plants on a warm/cool-season calendar instead of frost dates.
Best planting window
Year-round
Time to harvest
~70 days
🌴 Your zone never frosts, so planting is timed to the cooler vs. warmer seasons rather than a frost date.
Bitter Melon is ready to harvest in about 70 days.
Not sure which half-zone you're in? Set your ZIP in HomeSown for dates tuned to your exact location.
Varieties to grow
1 variety of bitter melon in the HomeSown library. Tap any for its full grow guide.
Common problems with bitter melon
What to watch for, with identification and treatment for each
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