When to plant watermelons in Cochabamba: 2 September – 12 March

In Cochabamba, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 15 July to 13 February; plant into a greenhouse from 12 August to 12 March; plant out into open ground from 2 September to 12 March.

Watermelon in Cochabamba: soil, season and weather

In Cochabamba the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 14 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 2 September, 19 days later.

Last spring frost	14 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	2 September, 19 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	12 August – 12 March; August outside: 4.8 °C at night, 21.2 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	21 June, 293 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	31 October – 10 May
Days left for picking	234
Daylight	11:23 on 5 August, 11:47 on 2 September
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, June, has 1 rainy day

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

Watermelon in Cochabamba: care after planting

Planted on 2 September: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

2 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 Cochabamba during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, October, averages 23.2 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: March (17.9 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 3.8 °C to 9.5 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
September	22.6	7.5	11	3	11:59
October	23.2	8.8	40	8	12:28
November	22.8	9.5	86	12	12:55
December	20.2	9.3	165	21	13:10
January	19	8.9	227	23	13:03
February	18.1	8.7	241	24	12:40
March	17.9	8.3	174	21	12:13
April	19.5	7.3	43	8	11:43
May	20.6	5.5	8	2	11:18
June	19.8	3.8	2	1	11:06

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Cochabamba, Sucre is 12 days earlier and Potosí 87 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Oruro	118 km	19 October – 19 January	47 days later
Sucre	206 km	21 August – 21 March	12 days earlier
La Paz	234 km	1 November – 9 January	60 days later
Potosí	247 km	28 November – 5 December	87 days later
Puno	446 km	13 October – 14 January	41 days later
Tarija	484 km	11 September – 3 March	9 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Cochabamba

Buy plants ready to set out from 2 September to 12 March (from 12 August to 12 March for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 15 July to 13 February. Within 15 km of Cochabamba OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres, 3 farm-supply shops, 10 plant nurseries, 85 markets and 3 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Vivero 4 Estaciones — plant nursery
10 km · viverocuatroestaciones.com
Climatron — plant nursery
1 km
Vivero — plant nursery
1 km
Vivero Municipal EMAVRA — plant nursery
3 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