Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Arroyo Grande you should be able to determine when it's the best time to plant melons.

Planting Calendar for Melons

Frost tolerance for melons:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Since melons require warm weather it is necessary to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant melons in Arroyo Grande is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant melons and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your melons may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your melons indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Arroyo Grande. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Arroyo Grande may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Arroyo Grande you get a frost after February 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your melons if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Arroyo Grande

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Arroyo Grande

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Arroyo Grande.