When to plant watermelons in Cusco: 24 November – 5 March

In Cusco, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 6 October to 6 February; plant into a greenhouse from 3 November to 5 March; plant out into open ground from 24 November to 5 March.

Watermelon in Cusco: soil, season and weather

In Cusco the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 3 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 24 November, 113 days later.

Last spring frost	3 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	24 November, 113 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	3 November – 5 March; November outside: 6 °C at night, 16.8 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	14 June, 203 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	22 January – 3 May
Days left for picking	144
Daylight	12:32 on 27 October, 12:49 on 24 November
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, June, has 2 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Cusco: care after planting

Planted on 24 November: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

24 November — 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 Cusco during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, November, averages 16.8 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November–June (14.7–16.8 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 2.5 °C to 6.3 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
November	16.8	6	118	21	12:44
December	15.8	6.2	155	24	12:55
January	15	5.9	187	26	12:50
February	14.7	6.3	163	25	12:32
March	14.7	5.7	135	23	12:11
April	15	4.7	59	15	11:48
May	15.4	3.7	24	8	11:30
June	15.6	2.5	6	2	11:20

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant watermelon earlier than Cusco; the closest date is in Ayacucho, 17 days earlier.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Ayacucho	247 km	7 November – 19 February	17 days earlier
Puno	332 km	13 October – 14 January	42 days earlier
La Paz	527 km	1 November – 9 January	23 days earlier
Oruro	719 km	19 October – 19 January	36 days earlier
Cochabamba	756 km	2 September – 12 March	83 days earlier
Sucre	942 km	21 August – 21 March	95 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Cusco

Buy plants ready to set out from 24 November to 5 March (from 3 November to 5 March for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 6 October to 6 February. Within 15 km of Cusco OpenStreetMap lists 9 farm-supply shops and 23 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

San Pedro Market — market
Calle Túpac Amaru 477, 08002 Cusco · Mon–Sun 06:00–18:00 · 2 km
Ccascaparo's Market — market
Calle Cascaparo Chico 700, 08002 · Mon–Sun 04:00–21:00 · 2 km
Mercado Tankarniyoc — market
Avenida Cusco, San Sebastián · public holidays, Mon–Sun 07:00–15:00 · 5 km
Mercado Wanchaq — market
Avenida Garcilaso · 06:00–18:00 · 1 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