When to plant watermelons in Fairbanks: 19 June – 26 July

In Fairbanks, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 1 May to 28 June; plant into a greenhouse from 29 May to 26 July; plant out into open ground from 19 June to 26 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include The Plant Kingdom Greenhouse and Nursery, Inc (garden centre, 6 km) and Ann's Greenhouses (garden centre, 12 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Fairbanks: soil, season and weather

In Fairbanks the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 8 May, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 19 June, 42 days later. 96 days separate planting out (19 June) from the first autumn frost (23 September); the card's 59 days to the first harvest leave 37 for picking, so a start 5 weeks late would still fit.

Last spring frost	8 May
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	19 June, 42 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	29 May – 26 July; May outside: 4.1 °C at night, 16.4 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	23 September, 96 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	17 August – 23 September
Days left for picking	37
Daylight	19:25 on 22 May, 21:50 on 19 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, June, has 9 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Fairbanks: care after planting

Planted on 19 June: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

19 June — 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 Fairbanks during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 23.2 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: September (13.4 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4.7 °C to 13.2 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	22.3	11.1	46	9	21:41
July	23.2	13.2	75	12	20:12
August	19.1	10.5	93	16	16:39
September	13.4	4.7	47	11	13:10

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Fairbanks, Juneau is 16 days earlier and Whitehorse 20 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Anchorage	417 km	7 July – 16 August	18 days later
Whitehorse	788 km	9 July – 31 July	20 days later
Juneau	1,008 km	3 June – 27 June	16 days earlier
Yellowknife	1,648 km	30 June – 6 August	11 days later
Vancouver	2,252 km	22 June – 8 August	3 days later
Edmonton	2,275 km	27 June – 27 June	8 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Fairbanks

Buy plants ready to set out from 19 June to 26 July (from 29 May to 26 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 1 May to 28 June. Within 15 km of Fairbanks OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres and 2 markets (collected 28 October 2026).

The Plant Kingdom Greenhouse and Nursery, Inc — garden centre
Fideler Road 620, 99712 Fairbanks · Mon–Sun 09:00–19:00 · 6 km · theplantkingdom.com
Ann's Greenhouses — garden centre
Sheep Creek Road 780, 99709 Fairbanks · 12 km
Tanana Valley Farmers Market — market
College Road 2600, 99708 Fairbanks · 4 km · tvfmarket.com
Birch Hill Market — market
4 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