One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Melbourne should be read to figure out when you can plant bok choi.

Planting Calendar for Bok Choi

Frost tolerance for bok choi:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Bok Choi are moderately cold tolerant which means that you can plant them a little bit earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant bok choi in Melbourne is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant bok choi and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your bok choi may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your bok choi indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Melbourne the average date of last frost happens on February 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Melbourne and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Melbourne last frost occurs after February 15 be ready to cover your bok choi in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Melbourne

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 Melbourne

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Melbourne.