When to plant watermelons in La Rochelle: 28 May – 2 September

In La Rochelle, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 9 April to 5 August; plant into a greenhouse from 7 May to 2 September; plant out into open ground from 28 May to 2 September. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Gamm Vert (garden centre, 6 km) and Jardiland (garden centre, 8 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in La Rochelle: soil, season and weather

In La Rochelle the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 14 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 28 May, 103 days later.

Last spring frost	14 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	28 May, 103 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	7 May – 2 September; May outside: 11.9 °C at night, 19.2 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	12 December, 198 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	26 July – 31 October
Days left for picking	139
Daylight	14:17 on 30 April, 15:24 on 28 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 7 rainy days

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

Watermelon in La Rochelle: care after planting

Planted on 28 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

28 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 La Rochelle during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 24.9 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (13.6 °C) and December (10.9 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 5.7 °C to 17.1 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	19.2	11.9	70	12	14:57
June	22.7	15.7	68	11	15:45
July	24.5	17.1	33	7	15:26
August	24.9	16.9	43	8	14:12
September	22.4	14.5	64	10	12:36
October	18.6	11.8	107	13	10:59
November	13.6	7.7	109	14	9:28
December	10.9	5.7	108	14	8:39

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

3 of the nearest cities share La Rochelle's date.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Nantes	122 km	28 May – 20 August	same day
Poitiers	123 km	30 May – 10 August	2 days later
Angers	153 km	28 May – 18 August	same day
Bordeaux	153 km	28 May – 21 August	same day
Limoges	190 km	6 June – 18 August	9 days later
Tours	196 km	31 May – 18 August	3 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near La Rochelle

Buy plants ready to set out from 28 May to 2 September (from 7 May to 2 September for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 9 April to 5 August. Within 15 km of La Rochelle OpenStreetMap lists 10 garden centres, 5 markets and 6 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Gamm Vert — garden centre
Mon–Sat 09:00–12:30, 14:30–19:00 · 6 km · gammvert.fr
Jardiland — garden centre
Mon–Sat 09:30–19:00; Sun 10:00–12:30, 14:30–19:00 · 8 km · jardiland.com
Roseraie La Joliette — garden centre
Mon–Fri 09:30–12:30, 14:30–18:30; Sat 09:00–12:30 · 15 km · roseraielajoliette.fr
France Rurale — garden centre
Mon–Fri 09:00–12:15, 14:30–19:00; Sat 08:30–12:15, 14:30–17:00 · 11 km · stmedard-17220.francerurale.fr

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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