When to plant watermelons in Fresno: 10 April – 26 August

In Fresno, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 20 February to 29 July; plant into a greenhouse from 20 March to 26 August; plant out into open ground from 10 April to 26 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Gibson Farm Market (farm shop, 8 km) and Green Source Genetics - Clones in Fresno (garden centre, 9 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Fresno: soil, season and weather

In Fresno the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 5 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 10 April, 64 days later.

Last spring frost	5 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	10 April, 64 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	20 March – 26 August; March outside: 7.4 °C at night, 19.5 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	5 December, 239 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	8 June – 24 October
Days left for picking	180
Daylight	11:50 on 13 March, 12:56 on 10 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 0 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Fresno: care after planting

Planted on 10 April: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

10 April — 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 Fresno during the watermelon season

Days average above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C in June (36.5 °C), July (40 °C) and August (38.8 °C). Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: December (14.4 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in April, May and October–December (4.5–14.7 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	25.2	10.6	27	3	13:07
May	30.3	14.7	15	2	14:07
June	36.5	19.5	1	0	14:40
July	40	22.5	0	0	14:27
August	38.8	21.9	2	0	13:36
September	35	18.6	3	1	12:27
October	28.1	12.5	12	1	11:18
November	19.9	7.2	43	4	10:14
December	14.4	4.5	68	7	9:40

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Fresno, Bakersfield is 8 days earlier and Santa Barbara 34 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Bakersfield	168 km	2 April – 4 September	8 days earlier
Stockton	190 km	24 April – 24 August	14 days later
San Jose	199 km	from 25 April	15 days later
Sacramento	254 km	24 April – 1 September	14 days later
Santa Barbara	259 km	14 May – 5 September	34 days later
Carson City	268 km	13 May – 13 July	33 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Fresno

Buy plants ready to set out from 10 April to 26 August (from 20 March to 26 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 20 February to 29 July. Within 15 km of Fresno OpenStreetMap lists 4 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026).

Green Source Genetics - Clones in Fresno — garden centre
East Escalon Avenue 102, 93710 Fresno · 9 km · greensourcegenetics.com
Gibson Farm Market — farm shop
North Chestnut Avenue 5368, 93740 Fresno · Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00; Sat 10:00–17:00 · 8 km · fresnostate.edu
Belmont Nursey — garden centre
11 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
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.

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