When to plant watermelons in Galway: 13 July – 19 August

In Galway, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 25 May to 22 July; plant into a greenhouse from 22 June to 19 August; plant out into open ground from 13 July to 19 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Woodie's Garden Centre (garden centre, 1 km) and Oranmore Organic Farm (farm shop, 7 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Galway: soil, season and weather

In Galway the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 17 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 13 July, 118 days later.

Last spring frost	17 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	13 July, 118 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	22 June – 19 August; June outside: 11.2 °C at night, 17.6 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	28 November, 138 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	10 September – 17 October
Days left for picking	79
Daylight	16:57 on 15 June, 16:35 on 13 July
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, September, has 17 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Galway: care after planting

Planted on 13 July: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

13 July — 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 Galway during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 18.6 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: September (16.7 °C), October (13.8 °C) and November (10.6 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 6.1 °C to 12.8 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
July	18.6	12.5	119	17	16:30
August	18.5	12.8	140	19	14:50
September	16.7	10.9	111	17	12:45
October	13.8	8.9	141	19	10:40
November	10.6	6.1	122	16	8:41

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Galway, Tralee is 17 days earlier and Kilkenny 2 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Limerick	73 km	6 July – 12 August	7 days earlier
Athlone	76 km	13 July – 17 August	same day
Sligo	118 km	30 June – 12 August	13 days earlier
Tralee	119 km	26 June – 13 August	17 days earlier
Kilkenny	139 km	15 July – 11 August	2 days later
Cork	157 km	15 July – 12 August	2 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Galway

Buy plants ready to set out from 13 July to 19 August (from 22 June to 19 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 25 May to 22 July. Within 15 km of Galway OpenStreetMap lists 9 garden centres, 1 plant nursery and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026).

Woodie's Garden Centre — garden centre
Headford Road, Galway · 1 km
Horkans Garden Centre — garden centre
Mon–Sat 09:30–18:00; Sun 12:00–18:00 · 9 km
Oranmore Organic Farm — farm shop
Shore Road, Trenlaur, Oranmore, H91EAA4 Galway · Mon–Sun 10:00–17:00 · 7 km
Lifestyle Garden Centre — garden centre
12 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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