When to plant watermelons in Baton Rouge: 3 March – 30 August

In Baton Rouge, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 13 January to 2 August; plant into a greenhouse from 10 February to 30 August; plant out into open ground from 3 March to 30 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Walmart Garden Center (garden centre, 5 km) and Clegg's Nursery (garden centre, 13 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Baton Rouge: soil, season and weather

In Baton Rouge the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 6 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 3 March, 25 days later.

Last spring frost	6 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	3 March, 25 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	10 February – 30 August; February outside: 10.1 °C at night, 20 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	9 December, 281 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	1 May – 28 October
Days left for picking	222
Daylight	10:47 on 3 February, 11:35 on 3 March
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, October, has 8 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Baton Rouge: care after planting

Planted on 3 March: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

3 March — 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 Baton Rouge during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 32.5 °C. Nights average below 18 °C in March, April and October–December (9.3–17.5 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
March	22.9	13.1	129	12	11:57
April	25.4	15.5	132	11	12:54
May	29.4	19.9	147	12	13:41
June	31.8	23.2	141	16	14:06
July	32.5	24.4	166	20	13:56
August	32.5	24.3	203	18	13:16
September	30.9	22.2	113	12	12:23
October	27.4	17.5	81	8	11:28
November	21.8	11.8	88	9	10:38
December	18.6	9.3	136	12	10:12

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Baton Rouge, New Orleans is 8 days earlier and Shreveport 17 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Lafayette	85 km	1 March – 27 August	2 days earlier
New Orleans	119 km	23 February – 5 September	8 days earlier
Gulfport	201 km	25 February – 15 August	6 days earlier
Jackson	227 km	16 March – 19 August	13 days later
Mobile	296 km	24 February – 5 September	7 days earlier
Shreveport	334 km	20 March – 30 August	17 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Baton Rouge

Buy plants ready to set out from 3 March to 30 August (from 10 February to 30 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 13 January to 2 August. Within 15 km of Baton Rouge OpenStreetMap lists 3 garden centres, 1 plant nursery and 2 markets (collected 28 October 2026).

Clegg's Nursery — garden centre
Siegen Lane 5696, 70809 Baton Rouge · 13 km · cleggsnursery.com
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
College Drive 3132, 70808 Baton Rouge · Sun–Sat 07:00–20:30 · 5 km
Louisiana Nursery — garden centre
Coursey Boulevard 13121, 70817 Baton Rouge · 15 km
Dominique's Livestock Market — market
Airline Highway 1462, 70805 Baton Rouge · Mon 12:00–14:00 · 6 km · dominiqueslivestock.com

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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