When to plant watermelons in Las Cruces: 5 April – 15 August

In Las Cruces, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 15 February to 18 July; plant into a greenhouse from 15 March to 15 August; plant out into open ground from 5 April to 15 August.

Watermelon in Las Cruces: soil, season and weather

In Las Cruces the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 28 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 5 April, 36 days later.

Last spring frost	28 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	5 April, 36 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	15 March – 15 August; March outside: 7.1 °C at night, 22.3 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	24 November, 233 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	3 June – 13 October
Days left for picking	174
Daylight	11:43 on 8 March, 12:38 on 5 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, April, has 1 rainy day

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

Watermelon in Las Cruces: care after planting

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

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

5 April — 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 Las Cruces during the watermelon season

Days average above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C in June (36.1 °C) and July (36.2 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in April, May and October, November (6.4–15.5 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	27	11.3	4	1	12:57
May	31.4	15.5	4	1	13:48
June	36.1	21	24	3	14:15
July	36.2	22.5	26	5	14:05
August	34.8	21.7	40	5	13:22
September	32	18.4	19	4	12:24
October	26.8	12.9	26	3	11:25
November	20.1	6.4	14	2	10:31

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Las Cruces, Chihuahua is 36 days earlier and Santa Fe (United States) 28 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
El Paso	67 km	23 March – 26 August	13 days earlier
Ciudad Juárez	77 km	23 March – 26 August	13 days earlier
Albuquerque	308 km	18 April – 31 July	13 days later
Santa Fe (United States)	384 km	3 May – 17 July	28 days later
Tucson	390 km	7 March – 8 September	29 days earlier
Chihuahua	415 km	28 February – 29 August	36 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Las Cruces

Buy plants ready to set out from 5 April to 15 August (from 15 March to 15 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 15 February to 18 July. Within 15 km of Las Cruces OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres and 1 market (collected 28 October 2026).

Peddler's Pavillion — market
West Picacho Avenue 2400 · 3 km · peddlerspavilion.net
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
2 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
7 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