When to plant watermelons in Bellinzona: 19 June – 6 August

In Bellinzona, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 1 May to 9 July; plant into a greenhouse from 29 May to 6 August; plant out into open ground from 19 June to 6 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Orto mio (farm shop, 14 km) and Azienda Agricola Gianella (farm shop, 14 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Bellinzona: soil, season and weather

In Bellinzona the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 7 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 19 June, 73 days later.

Last spring frost	7 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	19 June, 73 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	29 May – 6 August; May outside: 9.2 °C at night, 18.5 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	15 November, 149 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	17 August – 4 October
Days left for picking	90
Daylight	15:13 on 22 May, 15:47 on 19 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 13 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Bellinzona: care after planting

Planted on 19 June: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

19 June — 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 Bellinzona during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 26.2 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (16.7 °C) and November (10.8 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 2.6 °C to 15.9 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	23.7	13.9	187	15	15:45
July	26.2	15.9	128	13	15:26
August	26.2	15.9	184	12	14:12
September	20.9	11.9	153	12	12:36
October	16.7	7.8	221	12	10:59
November	10.8	2.6	134	12	9:28

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant watermelon earlier than Bellinzona; the closest date is in Bergamo, 19 days earlier.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Locarno	17 km	30 May – 13 June	20 days earlier
Lugano	22 km	29 May – 26 August	21 days earlier
Como	43 km	29 May – 14 August	21 days earlier
Bergamo	74 km	31 May – 9 August	19 days earlier
Milan	82 km	12 May – 21 August	38 days earlier
Novara	88 km	23 May – 13 August	27 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Bellinzona

Buy plants ready to set out from 19 June to 6 August (from 29 May to 6 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 1 May to 9 July. Within 15 km of Bellinzona OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 1 plant nursery and 7 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Orto mio — farm shop
Mon–Sun 00:00–00:00 · 14 km
Hacker — garden centre
13 km
Garden Center Bürgi — plant nursery
3 km
Azienda Agricola Gianella — farm shop
Via Campagna 10, 6556 Leggia · Mon closed; Tue closed; Wed–Sun 09:30–24:00 · 14 km · aziendaagricolagianella.ch

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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