When to plant watermelons in Bologna: 16 May – 20 August

In Bologna, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 28 March to 23 July; plant into a greenhouse from 25 April to 20 August; plant out into open ground from 16 May to 20 August.

Watermelon in Bologna: soil, season and weather

In Bologna the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 10 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 16 May, 67 days later.

Last spring frost	10 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	16 May, 67 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	25 April – 20 August; April outside: 8 °C at night, 18.9 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	29 November, 197 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	14 July – 18 October
Days left for picking	138
Daylight	13:35 on 18 April, 14:49 on 16 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 7 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Bologna: care after planting

Planted on 16 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

16 May — 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 Bologna 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 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (13.4 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in May, June and September–November (5.8–17.9 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	22.6	12.5	120	14	14:47
June	29.3	17.9	59	7	15:32
July	32	20.2	45	7	15:14
August	31.6	19.9	50	8	14:05
September	26.1	15.6	73	8	12:34
October	20.5	11.2	77	8	11:03
November	13.4	5.8	94	11	9:37

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Bologna, Ferrara is 3 days earlier and Florence 12 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Modena	37 km	14 May – 21 August	2 days earlier
Ferrara	45 km	13 May – 19 August	3 days earlier
Ravenna	69 km	15 May – 2 September	1 day earlier
Florence	80 km	28 May – 18 August	12 days later
Mantua	86 km	14 May – 19 August	2 days earlier
Parma	87 km	19 May – 20 August	3 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Bologna

Buy plants ready to set out from 16 May to 20 August (from 25 April to 20 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 28 March to 23 July. Within 15 km of Bologna OpenStreetMap lists 9 garden centres, 3 farm-supply shops, 4 plant nurseries, 18 markets and 15 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

COpAPS Serre e vivaio bio — garden centre
11 km
Ex vivaio comunale — plant nursery
6 km
Gambarelli Rita e Barbara — plant nursery
9 km
Azienda Agricola COpAPS — plant nursery
11 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