When to plant watermelons in Dodge City: 4 May – 20 July

In Dodge City, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 16 March to 22 June; plant into a greenhouse from 13 April to 20 July; plant out into open ground from 4 May to 20 July.

Watermelon in Dodge City: soil, season and weather

In Dodge City the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 10 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 4 May, 24 days later.

Last spring frost	10 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	4 May, 24 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	13 April – 20 July; April outside: 7.1 °C at night, 20.8 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	29 October, 178 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	2 July – 17 September
Days left for picking	119
Daylight	12:48 on 6 April, 13:51 on 4 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, October, has 5 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Dodge City: care after planting

Planted on 4 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

4 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 Dodge City during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 33.2 °C. Nights average below 18 °C in May (12.6 °C), September (17.2 °C) and October (9.4 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	24.6	12.6	116	12	14:12
June	31.1	19.1	75	8	14:46
July	33.2	21.4	67	8	14:32
August	31.9	20.3	58	7	13:39
September	29.2	17.2	40	6	12:28
October	22.2	9.4	32	5	11:16

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Dodge City, Lawton is 30 days earlier and Grand Island 14 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Wichita	236 km	2 May – 21 July	2 days earlier
Oklahoma City	339 km	15 April – 1 August	19 days earlier
Grand Island	379 km	18 May – 18 July	14 days later
Lawton	380 km	4 April – 2 August	30 days earlier
Tulsa	400 km	29 April – 8 August	5 days earlier
Topeka	402 km	6 May – 20 July	2 days later

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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