When to plant watermelons in Florence: 28 May – 18 August

In Florence, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 9 April to 21 July; plant into a greenhouse from 7 May to 18 August; plant out into open ground from 28 May to 18 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Centro Agricolo Toscano (garden centre, 3 km) and Mondo Rose (garden centre, 10 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Florence: soil, season and weather

In Florence the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 23 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 28 May, 66 days later.

Last spring frost	23 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	28 May, 66 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	7 May – 18 August; May outside: 10.8 °C at night, 21.9 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	27 November, 183 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	26 July – 16 October
Days left for picking	124
Daylight	14:06 on 30 April, 15:07 on 28 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 5 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Florence: care after planting

Planted on 28 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

28 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 Florence during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 31.5 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (14.7 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in May, June and September–November (6.2–15.6 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	21.9	10.8	105	14	14:43
June	28.2	15.6	54	8	15:26
July	31.4	18	31	5	15:09
August	31.5	18.3	50	6	14:02
September	25.8	14.4	114	10	12:33
October	20.8	10.6	107	11	11:04
November	14.7	6.2	140	13	9:41

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Florence, Livorno is 12 days earlier and Pisa 19 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Siena	50 km	26 May – 18 August	2 days earlier
Arezzo	61 km	9 June – 12 August	12 days later
Pisa	69 km	16 June – 9 August	19 days later
Livorno	79 km	from 16 May	12 days earlier
Bologna	80 km	16 May – 20 August	12 days earlier
San Marino	97 km	16 May – 2 September	12 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Florence

Buy plants ready to set out from 28 May to 18 August (from 7 May to 18 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 9 April to 21 July. Within 15 km of Florence OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 13 markets and 6 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

La bottega italiana — farm shop
10 km
Centro Agricolo Toscano — garden centre
Via Villamagna 146 · Mon–Sat 07:30–19:30 · 3 km
Mondo Rose — garden centre
Mon–Sat 08:00–12:30; Sun closed · 10 km
La Spesa in Campagna — market
Largo Adone Zoli Parterre, 50129 Firenze · Fri 08:00–14:00 · 2 km · ciatoscana.eu

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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