When to plant watermelons in Bochum: 3 June – 11 August

In Bochum, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 15 April to 14 July; plant into a greenhouse from 13 May to 11 August; plant out into open ground from 3 June to 11 August.

Watermelon in Bochum: soil, season and weather

In Bochum the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 10 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 3 June, 54 days later.

Last spring frost	10 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	3 June, 54 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	13 May – 11 August; May outside: 8.9 °C at night, 18.8 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	20 November, 170 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	1 August – 9 October
Days left for picking	111
Daylight	15:06 on 6 May, 16:21 on 3 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, August, has 13 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Bochum: care after planting

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

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

3 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 Bochum during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 23.9 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (15.4 °C) and November (9.6 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4.2 °C to 14.7 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	23.1	13.4	73	11	16:36
July	23.6	14.3	73	13	16:12
August	23.9	14.7	67	13	14:39
September	20.3	11.7	79	12	12:42
October	15.4	9.1	82	14	10:45
November	9.6	4.2	70	14	8:54

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Bochum, Münster is 2 days earlier and Dortmund 2 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Essen	15 km	3 June – 12 August	same day
Dortmund	18 km	5 June – 7 August	2 days later
Duisburg	32 km	3 June – 13 August	same day
Düsseldorf	41 km	3 June – 12 August	same day
Münster	60 km	1 June – 12 August	2 days earlier
Cologne	63 km	3 June – 11 August	same day

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Bochum

Buy plants ready to set out from 3 June to 11 August (from 13 May to 11 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 15 April to 14 July. Within 15 km of Bochum OpenStreetMap lists 29 garden centres, 5 farm-supply shops, 5 plant nurseries, 42 markets and 34 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Dreiringplatz — market
Tue, Thu 08:00–13:00; Sat 08:00–14:00 · 10 km · wochenmaerkte-essen.de
Wochenmarkt Wanne-Eickel — market
Mon, Fri 08:00–13:00 · 5 km · herne.de
Höntroper Töpfermarkt — market
Sept: Sun[–1] 11:00–18:00; Sept: Sun[–1] - 1 day 11:00–17:00 · 5 km · höntroper-töpfermarkt.de
Wochenmarkt Wanne-Süd — market
Apr–Oct: Sat 07:30–13:00; Nov–Mar: 08:00–13:00 · 6 km · herne.de

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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