When to plant watermelons in Lansing: 28 May – 24 July

In Lansing, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 9 April to 26 June; plant into a greenhouse from 7 May to 24 July; plant out into open ground from 28 May to 24 July. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Phillips Market (farm shop, 5 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Lansing: soil, season and weather

In Lansing the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 28 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 28 May, 30 days later.

Last spring frost	28 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	28 May, 30 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	7 May – 24 July; May outside: 9.7 °C at night, 20.9 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	2 November, 158 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	26 July – 21 September
Days left for picking	99
Daylight	14:02 on 30 April, 15:00 on 28 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, November, has 9 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Lansing: 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 Lansing during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 28.3 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (16.6 °C) and November (8.5 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in May, June and August–November (1–17 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	20.9	9.7	89	13	14:37
June	26.6	15.5	78	11	15:18
July	28.3	18	86	12	15:02
August	27.2	17	83	10	13:57
September	23.8	14	74	10	12:32
October	16.6	7.9	102	11	11:07
November	8.5	1	56	9	9:47

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Lansing, Fort Wayne is 7 days earlier and Ann Arbor 1 day later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Ann Arbor	82 km	29 May – 27 July	1 day later
Grand Rapids	95 km	28 May – 25 July	same day
Detroit	131 km	27 May – 29 July	1 day earlier
Windsor	134 km	27 May – 29 July	1 day earlier
Toledo (United States)	145 km	24 May – 29 July	4 days earlier
Fort Wayne	187 km	21 May – 24 July	7 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Lansing

Buy plants ready to set out from 28 May to 24 July (from 7 May to 24 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 9 April to 26 June. Within 15 km of Lansing OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 1 plant nursery, 6 markets and 5 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Holt Farmers Market — market
Cedar Street 2150 · Sat 09:00–14:00 · 8 km · holtfarmersmarket.org
Market 24/7 — market
24/7 · 8 km · flylansing.com
Meridian Farmers Market — market
May–Oct Sat 08:00–14:00 · 12 km
Phillips Market — farm shop
Vine Street 3000 · Mon–Sun 10:00–18:00 · 5 km · phillipsciders.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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