When to plant watermelons in Lecce: 3 May – 18 August

In Lecce, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 15 March to 21 July; plant into a greenhouse from 12 April to 18 August; plant out into open ground from 3 May to 18 August.

Watermelon in Lecce: soil, season and weather

In Lecce the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 16 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 3 May, 76 days later.

Last spring frost	16 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	3 May, 76 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	12 April – 18 August; April outside: 9.8 °C at night, 19.8 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	27 November, 208 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	1 July – 16 October
Days left for picking	149
Daylight	12:50 on 5 April, 13:59 on 3 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 3 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Lecce: care after planting

Planted on 3 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

3 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 Lecce during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 33.4 °C. Nights average below 18 °C in May (13.9 °C), October (14.2 °C) and November (10.9 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	24	13.9	77	10	14:24
June	30.3	18.9	33	5	15:02
July	33.4	21.3	14	3	14:47
August	32.9	21.5	33	6	13:48
September	28.3	18.4	54	8	12:30
October	23.1	14.2	76	9	11:11
November	18.6	10.9	110	12	9:58

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Lecce, Foggia is 10 days earlier and Potenza 42 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Taranto	79 km	from 25 April	8 days earlier
Bari	139 km	from 4 May	1 day later
Cosenza	201 km	3 June – 21 August	31 days later
Potenza	202 km	14 June – 16 August	42 days later
Foggia	252 km	23 April – 10 September	10 days earlier
Salerno	288 km	7 June – 1 September	35 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Lecce

Buy plants ready to set out from 3 May to 18 August (from 12 April to 18 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 15 March to 21 July. Within 15 km of Lecce OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 7 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Piazza Rita Levi Montalcini — market
3 km
Area Mercatale di Lizzanello — market
7 km
Area mercatale — market
15 km
Zona mercato Copertino — market
14 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