When to plant watermelons in Caen: 15 June – 26 August

In Caen, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 27 April to 29 July; plant into a greenhouse from 25 May to 26 August; plant out into open ground from 15 June to 26 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include La Ferme du Village (farm shop, 4 km) and Les éleveurs de la Charentonne (farm shop, 7 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Caen: soil, season and weather

In Caen the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 12 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 15 June, 95 days later.

Last spring frost	12 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	15 June, 95 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	25 May – 26 August; May outside: 9.4 °C at night, 16.8 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	5 December, 173 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	13 August – 24 October
Days left for picking	114
Daylight	15:25 on 18 May, 16:12 on 15 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 10 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Caen: care after planting

Planted on 15 June: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

15 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 Caen during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 22.5 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (16.8 °C), November (12 °C) and December (9.7 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4.8 °C to 14.7 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	20.3	12.7	67	11	16:12
July	22.2	14.5	52	10	15:51
August	22.5	14.7	55	11	14:27
September	20.3	12.8	59	12	12:39
October	16.8	10.2	78	13	10:52
November	12	6.8	85	15	9:10
December	9.7	4.8	89	14	8:14

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Caen, Le Mans is 15 days earlier and Brighton 35 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Le Havre	48 km	11 June – 2 September	4 days earlier
Rouen	109 km	16 June – 12 August	1 day later
Le Mans	139 km	31 May – 15 August	15 days earlier
Rennes	154 km	1 June – 19 August	14 days earlier
Brighton	183 km	20 July – 22 August	35 days later
Portsmouth	188 km	16 June – 22 August	1 day later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Caen

Buy plants ready to set out from 15 June to 26 August (from 25 May to 26 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 27 April to 29 July. Within 15 km of Caen OpenStreetMap lists 14 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 7 plant nurseries, 20 markets and 22 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Marché de Fontaine-Étoupefour — market
Sat · 9 km
La Ferme du Village — farm shop
Boulevard du Suffolk 6 b, 14112 Biéville-Beuville · Mon–Fri 09:00–13:00, 14:00–19:00; Sat 09:00–19:00 · 4 km · lafermeduvillage.fr
Les éleveurs de la Charentonne — farm shop
Rue du Commerce 155, 14970 Bénouville · 7 km · leseleveursdelacharentonne.fr
Ferme du Bout Roulant — farm shop
Route du Bout Roulant 1, 14940 Touffréville · Thu, Fri 14:00–18:00; Sat 09:30–12:00, 14:00–17:30 · 10 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.

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