When to plant watermelons in Bloemfontein: 14 September – 23 February

In Bloemfontein, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 27 July to 26 January; plant into a greenhouse from 24 August to 23 February; plant out into open ground from 14 September to 23 February.

Watermelon in Bloemfontein: soil, season and weather

In Bloemfontein the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 17 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 14 September, 28 days later.

Last spring frost	17 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	14 September, 28 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	24 August – 23 February; August outside: 3.5 °C at night, 20.2 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	3 June, 263 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	12 November – 22 April
Days left for picking	204
Daylight	11:06 on 17 August, 11:52 on 14 September
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, June, has 1 rainy day

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

Watermelon in Bloemfontein: care after planting

Planted on 14 September: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

14 September — 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 Bloemfontein during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, January, averages 29.8 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: June (17.2 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 2.1 °C to 16.5 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
September	25	8.1	14	3	11:54
October	27.3	11	34	5	12:46
November	28.6	13.2	57	7	13:34
December	29.7	15.4	63	10	13:59
January	29.8	16.5	74	9	13:48
February	28.6	15.9	65	9	13:06
March	27.3	13.9	49	8	12:18
April	22.8	9.8	75	8	11:24
May	20.1	5.6	19	3	10:41
June	17.2	2.1	9	1	10:17

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Bloemfontein, Pretoria is 21 days earlier and Lages 10 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Johannesburg	372 km	6 September – 24 February	8 days earlier
Pretoria	423 km	from 24 August	21 days earlier
Lages	7,337 km	24 September – 14 March	10 days later
Curitiba	7,339 km	from 3 September	11 days earlier
Caxias do Sul	7,360 km	1 September – 7 March	13 days earlier
Ponta Grossa	7,436 km	4 September – 15 March	10 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Bloemfontein

Buy plants ready to set out from 14 September to 23 February (from 24 August to 23 February for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 27 July to 26 January. Within 15 km of Bloemfontein OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 1 farm-supply shop and 3 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Boeremark — market
6 km
Villa Avianto — market
Spesery Avenue 40, 9301 Bloemfontein · Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00; Sat 07:00–13:00; Sun closed · 6 km · villa-avianto.co.za
Pretty Gardens Nursery — garden centre
7 km · prettygardenslc.co.za
Bainsvlei No S389 — farm supply
12 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