When to plant watermelons in Elko: 20 May – 4 July

In Elko, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 1 April to 6 June; plant into a greenhouse from 29 April to 4 July; plant out into open ground from 20 May to 4 July.

Watermelon in Elko: soil, season and weather

In Elko the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 6 May, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 20 May, 14 days later.

Last spring frost	6 May
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	20 May, 14 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	29 April – 4 July; April outside: 0.7 °C at night, 13.7 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	13 October, 146 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	18 July – 1 September
Days left for picking	87
Daylight	13:35 on 22 April, 14:36 on 20 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 1 rainy day

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

Watermelon in Elko: care after planting

Planted on 20 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

20 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 Elko during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 32.1 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (16.3 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 3.5 °C to 17.4 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	18.9	5.8	38	8	14:27
June	27	12.2	11	2	15:05
July	32.1	17.4	4	1	14:50
August	30.4	16.1	11	3	13:50
September	24.9	10.8	22	3	12:31
October	16.3	3.5	25	4	11:10

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Elko, Las Vegas is 49 days earlier and Idaho Falls 15 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Boise	310 km	7 May – 18 July	13 days earlier
Salt Lake City	324 km	19 May – 17 July	1 day earlier
Reno	375 km	29 April – 19 July	21 days earlier
Carson City	391 km	13 May – 13 July	7 days earlier
Idaho Falls	425 km	4 June – 5 July	15 days later
Las Vegas	522 km	1 April – 2 September	49 days earlier

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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