When to Plant Winter Melon in Michigan
Michigan spans USDA hardiness 4a to 7a (zones 4a to 7a 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 4a · Zone 4b · Zone 5a · Zone 5b · Zone 6a · Zone 6b · Zone 7a
Winter Melon planting calendar for Michigan, Zone 4a
Average last spring frost
May 15
Average first fall frost
September 20
Start seeds indoors
Apr 17
Transplant outdoors
May 29
Winter Melon needs about 130 days to mature — longer than Zone 4a 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 Michigan, 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 Michigan, 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 Michigan, 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 Michigan, 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) →
Winter Melon planting calendar for Michigan, 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
Sep 11
Winter Melon is ready to harvest in about 130 days. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Winter Melon planting calendar for Michigan, 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
Sep 6
Winter Melon is ready to harvest in about 130 days. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →
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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