When to plant watermelons in Albuquerque: 18 April – 31 July

In Albuquerque, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 28 February to 3 July; plant into a greenhouse from 28 March to 31 July; plant out into open ground from 18 April to 31 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Jericho Nursery (garden centre, 13 km) and Walmart Garden Center (garden centre, 14 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Albuquerque: soil, season and weather

In Albuquerque the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 5 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 18 April, 13 days later.

Last spring frost	5 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	18 April, 13 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	28 March – 31 July; March outside: 2.8 °C at night, 17.9 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	9 November, 205 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	16 June – 28 September
Days left for picking	146
Daylight	12:09 on 21 March, 13:09 on 18 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, May, has 4 rainy days

The same dates in Albuquerque hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Zucchini and Pumpkin.

Watermelon in Albuquerque: care after planting

Planted on 18 April: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

Feeding, by the card’s schedule from that day:

18 April — feed: balanced (NPK)

Pests and diseases of watermelon to watch for:

Dates count from the first planting day of the window above; a later planting moves them by as many days.

Weather in Albuquerque during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 34.4 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (15.1 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in April–June and September–November (2.2–17.7 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	23.2	6.8	19	4	13:03
May	27.7	11.8	17	4	13:59
June	33.4	17.7	22	3	14:30
July	34.4	20.3	21	5	14:18
August	32.8	19.1	22	4	13:30
September	29.4	15.1	29	4	12:26
October	22.6	8.8	40	5	11:21
November	15.1	2.2	21	4	10:21

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Albuquerque, El Paso is 26 days earlier and Colorado Springs 49 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Santa Fe (United States)	94 km	3 May – 17 July	15 days later
Las Cruces	308 km	5 April – 15 August	13 days earlier
El Paso	369 km	23 March – 26 August	26 days earlier
Ciudad Juárez	378 km	23 March – 26 August	26 days earlier
Pueblo	398 km	3 May – 19 July	15 days later
Colorado Springs	448 km	6 June – 6 July	49 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Albuquerque

Buy plants ready to set out from 18 April to 31 July (from 28 March to 31 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 28 February to 3 July. Within 15 km of Albuquerque OpenStreetMap lists 15 garden centres, 6 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026).

Jericho Nursery — garden centre
Alameda Boulevard Northwest · 13 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
Coors Boulevard Bypass Northwest 10224 · 14 km
Rail Yards Market — market
1st Street Southwest 777, 87102 Albuquerque · May–Oct: Sun 10:00–14:00 · 1 km · railyardsmarket.org
Sawmill Market — market
Bellamah Avenue Northwest 1909, 87104 Albuquerque · Sun–Thu 08:00–21:00; Fri, Sat 08:00–22:00 · 3 km

Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

Questions