When to plant watermelons in Billings: 2 June – 5 July

In Billings, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 14 April to 7 June; plant into a greenhouse from 12 May to 5 July; plant out into open ground from 2 June to 5 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Roots Garden Center (garden centre, 6 km) and Walmart Garden Center (garden centre, 7 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Billings: soil, season and weather

In Billings the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 25 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 2 June, 38 days later.

Last spring frost	25 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	2 June, 38 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	12 May – 5 July; May outside: 6.9 °C at night, 20.3 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	14 October, 134 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	31 July – 2 September
Days left for picking	75
Daylight	14:29 on 5 May, 15:29 on 2 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 3 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Billings: care after planting

Planted on 2 June: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

2 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 Billings during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 31.9 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (16 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 3.7 °C to 16.6 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	26.7	12.5	57	8	15:42
July	31.9	16.6	18	3	15:23
August	31	15.8	20	3	14:10
September	25.9	11.2	39	5	12:36
October	16	3.7	47	7	11:00

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant watermelon later than Billings; the closest date is in Idaho Falls, 2 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Helena	287 km	3 July – 5 August	31 days later
Idaho Falls	377 km	4 June – 5 July	2 days later
Missoula	441 km	30 June – 8 August	28 days later
Rapid City	457 km	6 June – 3 July	4 days later
Regina	594 km	6 June – 27 June	4 days later
Cheyenne	595 km	8 June – 4 July	6 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Billings

Buy plants ready to set out from 2 June to 5 July (from 12 May to 5 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 14 April to 7 June. Within 15 km of Billings OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 11 farm-supply shops, 3 plant nurseries and 4 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Billings Livestock Commission — market
7 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
King Avenue West 2525, 59102 Billings · Mon–Sun 06:00–23:00 · 7 km · walmart.com
Roots Garden Center — garden centre
Poly Drive 2147, Billings · Mon–Sun 09:00–17:00 · 6 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
6 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