When to plant watermelons in Athens (United States): 17 April – 13 August

In Athens (United States), watermelon: sow for seedlings from 27 February to 16 July; plant into a greenhouse from 27 March to 13 August; plant out into open ground from 17 April to 13 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Foxglove Plantbar (garden centre, 2 km) and Mary's (farm supply, 11 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Athens (United States): soil, season and weather

In Athens (United States) the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 12 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 17 April, 36 days later.

Last spring frost	12 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	17 April, 36 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	27 March – 13 August; March outside: 7.9 °C at night, 19 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	22 November, 219 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	15 June – 11 October
Days left for picking	160
Daylight	12:07 on 20 March, 13:05 on 17 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, November, has 8 rainy days

The same dates in Athens (United States) hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Zucchini and Pumpkin.

Watermelon in Athens (United States): care after planting

Planted on 17 April: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

17 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 Athens (United States) during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 32.1 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (17.7 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in April, May and October, November (7.6–15.8 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	22.8	11.1	109	9	13:01
May	26.7	15.8	116	13	13:55
June	30.3	19.8	101	13	14:24
July	32.1	22	109	16	14:13
August	30.9	21.1	129	16	13:27
September	28.8	18.6	101	9	12:25
October	23.6	13.1	75	7	11:22
November	17.7	7.6	70	8	10:25

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Athens (United States), Macon is 25 days earlier and Asheville 37 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Atlanta	96 km	13 April – 13 August	4 days earlier
Macon	127 km	23 March – 22 August	25 days earlier
Greenville	135 km	23 April – 13 August	6 days later
Asheville	199 km	24 May – 24 July	37 days later
Chattanooga	212 km	27 April – 3 August	10 days later
Columbia	217 km	28 March – 20 August	20 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Athens (United States)

Buy plants ready to set out from 17 April to 13 August (from 27 March to 13 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 27 February to 16 July. Within 15 km of Athens (United States) OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 1 farm-supply shop and 4 markets (collected 28 October 2026).

Foxglove Plantbar — garden centre
Baxter Street 1063, 30606 Athens · Wed–Sat 10:00–20:00; Sun 10:00–16:00 · 2 km · foxgloveplantbar.com
Mary's — farm supply
Atlanta Highway 4860, 30606 Athens · 11 km
Farm 441 — market
Macon Highway 6091, 30621 Bishop · 12 km · farm441ga.com
Achachi International Market — market
South Milledge Avenue 2024, 30605 Athens · 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.

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