When to plant watermelons in Gainesville: 18 February – 14 September

In Gainesville, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 31 December to 17 August; plant into a greenhouse from 28 January to 14 September; plant out into open ground from 18 February to 14 September. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Garden Gate Nursery (garden centre, 6 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Gainesville: soil, season and weather

In Gainesville the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 22 January, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 18 February, 27 days later.

Last spring frost	22 January
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	18 February, 27 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	28 January – 14 September; January outside: 8.3 °C at night, 18.8 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	24 December, 309 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	18 April – 12 November
Days left for picking	250
Daylight	10:33 on 21 January, 11:14 on 18 February
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, November, has 6 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Gainesville: care after planting

Planted on 18 February: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

18 February — 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 Gainesville during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 32.6 °C. Nights average below 18 °C in February–April and November, December (10.7–15.7 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
February	22.6	11.5	60	8	11:09
March	24.8	13	73	8	11:57
April	27.6	15.7	76	8	12:52
May	30.7	19	85	10	13:38
June	32	22.3	162	19	14:02
July	32.6	23.3	187	23	13:53
August	32.1	23.3	191	24	13:14
September	30.7	21.9	144	18	12:22
October	27.7	18.2	65	9	11:29
November	23.6	13.4	56	6	10:41
December	20.8	10.7	63	7	10:15

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Gainesville, Orlando is 24 days earlier and Savannah 7 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Jacksonville	99 km	11 February – 17 September	7 days earlier
Orlando	154 km	25 January – 15 September	24 days earlier
Tampa	189 km	25 January – 14 September	24 days earlier
St. Petersburg	206 km	from 25 January	24 days earlier
Tallahassee	207 km	24 February – 13 September	6 days later
Savannah	295 km	25 February – 14 September	7 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Gainesville

Buy plants ready to set out from 18 February to 14 September (from 28 January to 14 September for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 31 December to 17 August. Within 15 km of Gainesville OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 1 plant nursery and 4 markets (collected 28 October 2026).

Garden Gate Nursery — garden centre
Northwest 43rd Street 2406, 32606 · 6 km · gardengatenursery.net
Grove Street Farmers Market — market
Northwest 4th Street 1001, 32601 Gainesville · Mon 16:00–19:00 · 1 km · grovestreetfarmersmarket.com
GNV Market — market
South Main Street 619, 32601 Gainesville · Thu 16:00–19:00 · 1 km
Alachua County Farmer's Market — market
Sat 08:30–13:00 · 7 km · 441market.com

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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