When to plant watermelons in El Paso: 23 March – 26 August

In El Paso, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 2 February to 29 July; plant into a greenhouse from 2 March to 26 August; plant out into open ground from 23 March to 26 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Vivero los Sotoles (garden centre, 8 km) and Vivero alvij (garden centre, 14 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in El Paso: soil, season and weather

In El Paso the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 28 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 23 March, 23 days later.

Last spring frost	28 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	23 March, 23 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	2 March – 26 August; March outside: 7.9 °C at night, 23.2 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	5 December, 257 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	21 May – 24 October
Days left for picking	198
Daylight	11:18 on 23 February, 12:12 on 23 March
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, April, has 1 rainy day

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

Watermelon in El Paso: care after planting

Planted on 23 March: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

23 March — 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 El Paso during the watermelon season

Days average above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C in June (36.5 °C) and July (36.3 °C). Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: December (16.1 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in March–May and October–December (3.3–16.4 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
March	23.2	7.9	11	2	11:57
April	27.8	11.9	3	1	12:56
May	32	16.4	3	1	13:46
June	36.5	21.8	24	3	14:13
July	36.3	23.2	28	5	14:02
August	35	22.4	45	6	13:20
September	32.2	19.1	25	5	12:23
October	27.2	13.5	27	4	11:26
November	20.8	7.3	11	3	10:33
December	16.1	3.3	16	3	10:05

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around El Paso, Chihuahua is 23 days earlier and Santa Fe (United States) 41 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Ciudad Juárez	10 km	23 March – 26 August	same day
Las Cruces	67 km	5 April – 15 August	13 days later
Chihuahua	350 km	28 February – 29 August	23 days earlier
Albuquerque	369 km	18 April – 31 July	26 days later
Tucson	422 km	7 March – 8 September	16 days earlier
Santa Fe (United States)	440 km	3 May – 17 July	41 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near El Paso

Buy plants ready to set out from 23 March to 26 August (from 2 March to 26 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 2 February to 29 July. Within 15 km of El Paso OpenStreetMap lists 4 garden centres and 8 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Vivero alvij — garden centre
Calle Piña 6023, 32690 · 14 km · facebook.com
Vivero los Sotoles — garden centre
Calle Valentín Fuentes 2060 · 8 km · facebook.com
Invernadero UACJ — garden centre
5 km · facebook.com
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
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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