When to plant watermelons in Le Mans: 31 May – 15 August

In Le Mans, 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 Ferme de la Muzerie (farm shop, 14 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Le Mans: soil, season and weather

In Le Mans the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 2 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 31 May, 59 days later.

Last spring frost	2 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	31 May, 59 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	10 May – 15 August; May outside: 9.6 °C at night, 19.3 °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	14:35 on 3 May, 15:44 on 31 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 7 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Le Mans: 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 Le Mans during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 25.3 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (17.3 °C) and November (11.7 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 5.5 °C to 15 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	19.3	9.6	69	13	15:09
June	23.5	13.7	65	11	16:01
July	25.3	15	40	7	15:41
August	25.2	14.9	46	8	14:21
September	21.9	12.5	63	10	12:38
October	17.3	9.6	79	12	10:55
November	11.7	5.5	74	12	9:17

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Le Mans, Angers is 3 days earlier and Caen 15 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Tours	77 km	31 May – 18 August	same day
Angers	81 km	28 May – 18 August	3 days earlier
Orléans	127 km	2 June – 16 August	2 days later
Caen	139 km	15 June – 26 August	15 days later
Rennes	140 km	1 June – 19 August	1 day later
Nantes	157 km	28 May – 20 August	3 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Le Mans

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 Le Mans OpenStreetMap lists 9 garden centres, 16 markets and 8 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Ferme de la Muzerie — farm shop
Wed 10:00–12:00, 14:00–19:00 · 14 km
Pépinières Boulay — garden centre
15 km · pepinieriste-jardinerie.pepinieres-sarthe.com
La maison.fr — garden centre
6 km
Jardiprix — 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.

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