When to Plant Winter Melon in Iowa
Iowa spans USDA hardiness 4b to 6a (zones 4b to 6a on this page). Plant winter melon by your local frost date, not the calendar — pick your zone below for exact start-indoors, transplant, and harvest dates.
Jump to: Zone 4b · Zone 5a · Zone 5b · Zone 6a
Winter Melon planting calendar for Iowa, Zone 4b
Average last spring frost
May 10
Average first fall frost
September 25
Start seeds indoors
Apr 12
Transplant outdoors
May 24
Winter Melon needs about 130 days to mature — longer than Zone 4b typically stays frost-free, so it likely won't reliably ripen there outdoors without a head start indoors or season extension. Full zone 4 guide (both 4a and 4b) →
Winter Melon planting calendar for Iowa, Zone 5a
Average last spring frost
May 5
Average first fall frost
October 1
Start seeds indoors
Apr 7
Transplant outdoors
May 19
Projected first harvest
Sep 26
Winter Melon is ready to harvest in about 130 days. Full zone 5 guide (both 5a and 5b) →
Winter Melon planting calendar for Iowa, 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
Sep 21
Winter Melon is ready to harvest in about 130 days. Full zone 5 guide (both 5a and 5b) →
Winter Melon planting calendar for Iowa, 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
Sep 16
Winter Melon is ready to harvest in about 130 days. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
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 winter melon in the HomeSown library. Tap any for its full grow guide.
Common problems with winter melon
What to watch for, with identification and treatment for each
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