When to plant watermelons in Chattanooga: 27 April – 3 August

In Chattanooga, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 9 March to 6 July; plant into a greenhouse from 6 April to 3 August; plant out into open ground from 27 April to 3 August.

Watermelon in Chattanooga: soil, season and weather

In Chattanooga the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 20 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 27 April, 38 days later.

Last spring frost	20 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	27 April, 38 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	6 April – 3 August; April outside: 9.9 °C at night, 22 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	12 November, 199 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	25 June – 1 October
Days left for picking	140
Daylight	12:29 on 30 March, 13:28 on 27 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, November, has 7 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Chattanooga: care after planting

Planted on 27 April: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

27 April — 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 Chattanooga during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 32.5 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (17.2 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in April, May and October, November (6.3–15.2 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	22	9.9	117	10	13:03
May	26.6	15.2	116	12	13:59
June	30.6	19.4	97	13	14:30
July	32.5	21.8	109	16	14:18
August	31.6	20.9	103	13	13:30
September	29.4	18.4	93	8	12:26
October	23.8	12.5	77	7	11:21
November	17.2	6.3	74	7	10:21

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Chattanooga, Birmingham (United States) is 18 days earlier and Huntsville 7 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Huntsville	127 km	4 May – 5 August	7 days later
Knoxville	156 km	4 May – 3 August	7 days later
Atlanta	167 km	13 April – 13 August	14 days earlier
Nashville	184 km	3 May – 5 August	6 days later
Athens (United States)	212 km	17 April – 13 August	10 days earlier
Birmingham (United States)	224 km	9 April – 17 August	18 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Chattanooga

Buy plants ready to set out from 27 April to 3 August (from 6 April to 3 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 9 March to 6 July. Within 15 km of Chattanooga OpenStreetMap lists 4 garden centres, 1 plant nursery, 4 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 29 October 2026).

Sunset Market — market
Battlefield Parkway 915, Fort Oglethorpe · 13 km
Lowe's Garden Center — garden centre
10 km
Reflection Riding Native Plant Nursery — plant nursery
13 km
O'Dells Deli — market
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.

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