When to plant watermelons in Ghent: 31 May – 15 August

In Ghent, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 12 April to 18 July; plant into a greenhouse from 10 May to 15 August; plant out into open ground from 31 May to 15 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Bij Boer Jan (farm shop, 7 km) and Vierhoekhoeve (farm shop, 11 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Ghent: soil, season and weather

In Ghent the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 12 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 31 May, 49 days later.

Last spring frost	12 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	31 May, 49 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	10 May – 15 August; May outside: 8.8 °C at night, 18.7 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	24 November, 177 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	29 July – 13 October
Days left for picking	118
Daylight	14:53 on 3 May, 16:12 on 31 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, May, has 11 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Ghent: care after planting

Planted on 31 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

31 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 Ghent during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 23.5 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (15.9 °C) and November (10.3 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 5 °C to 14.4 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	18.7	8.8	58	11	15:32
June	22.5	12.8	74	11	16:31
July	23.2	14	62	12	16:08
August	23.5	14.4	61	12	14:37
September	20.5	12	59	10	12:42
October	15.9	9.4	73	13	10:47
November	10.3	5	70	14	8:57

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

2 of the nearest cities share Ghent's date.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Bruges	39 km	15 June – 21 August	15 days later
Brussels	49 km	8 June – 13 August	8 days later
Antwerp	51 km	31 May – 13 August	same day
Lille	66 km	11 June – 12 August	11 days later
Mons	69 km	10 June – 10 August	10 days later
Leuven	71 km	31 May – 13 August	same day

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Ghent

Buy plants ready to set out from 31 May to 15 August (from 10 May to 15 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 12 April to 18 July. Within 15 km of Ghent OpenStreetMap lists 31 garden centres, 2 plant nurseries, 8 markets and 9 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Hoevezuivel Simoenstede — farm shop
Jagerpad 77, 9950 Lievegem · 15 km
Bij Boer Jan — farm shop
Gavergrachtstraat 143, 9031 Drongen · 7 km
Vierhoekhoeve — farm shop
Wed, Fri 14:00–18:30; Sat 10:00–18:00 · 11 km
Alleitjes — farm shop
Oude Heirweg 15 · 14 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