When to plant watermelons in Kyoto: 14 May – 28 August

In Kyoto, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 26 March to 31 July; plant into a greenhouse from 23 April to 28 August; plant out into open ground from 14 May to 28 August.

Watermelon in Kyoto: soil, season and weather

In Kyoto the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 22 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 14 May, 53 days later.

Last spring frost	22 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	14 May, 53 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	23 April – 28 August; April outside: 8.7 °C at night, 18.8 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	7 December, 207 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	12 July – 26 October
Days left for picking	148
Daylight	13:05 on 16 April, 13:58 on 14 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, December, has 7 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Kyoto: care after planting

Planted on 14 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

14 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 Kyoto during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 32.4 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (16.3 °C) and December (10.6 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in May and October–December (1.5–13.6 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	23.3	13.4	183	11	13:59
June	26.8	18.1	254	14	14:30
July	30.8	22.9	248	16	14:18
August	32.4	24	183	13	13:30
September	28.4	20.6	192	15	12:26
October	22	13.6	190	12	11:21
November	16.3	7.1	71	7	10:21
December	10.6	1.5	57	7	9:49

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Kyoto, Tokyo is 16 days earlier and Hiroshima 12 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Osaka	43 km	5 May – 7 September	9 days earlier
Nagoya	105 km	6 May – 31 August	8 days earlier
Okayama	174 km	14 May – 5 September	same day
Hamamatsu	182 km	2 May – 8 September	12 days earlier
Hiroshima	311 km	26 May – 16 August	12 days later
Tokyo	363 km	28 April – 4 September	16 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Kyoto

Buy plants ready to set out from 14 May to 28 August (from 23 April to 28 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 26 March to 31 July. Within 15 km of Kyoto OpenStreetMap lists 16 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery, 6 markets and 19 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

京山食品 — market
1 km
ヘルス伏見 — farm shop
9 km
長谷川農園 — farm shop
9 km
米とやさいの食工房 — farm shop
10 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