When to plant watermelons in Lexington: 15 May – 29 July

In Lexington, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 27 March to 1 July; plant into a greenhouse from 24 April to 29 July; plant out into open ground from 15 May to 29 July.

Watermelon in Lexington: soil, season and weather

In Lexington the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 10 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 15 May, 35 days later.

Last spring frost	10 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	15 May, 35 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	24 April – 29 July; April outside: 7.6 °C at night, 18.6 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	7 November, 176 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	13 July – 26 September
Days left for picking	117
Daylight	13:14 on 17 April, 14:13 on 15 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, October, has 9 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Lexington: care after planting

Planted on 15 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

15 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 Lexington during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 30.1 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (13 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in May, June and September–November (3.6–17.8 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	23.5	13.4	129	15	14:13
June	28.5	17.8	123	13	14:47
July	30.1	20.3	133	14	14:34
August	29.1	19.2	99	12	13:40
September	26.6	16.4	91	8	12:28
October	20.6	10.4	88	9	11:16
November	13	3.6	92	9	10:09

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Lexington, Bowling Green is 11 days earlier and Dayton 1 day later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Frankfort	41 km	13 May – 25 July	2 days earlier
Louisville	116 km	7 May – 2 August	8 days earlier
Cincinnati	127 km	13 May – 31 July	2 days earlier
Dayton	198 km	16 May – 31 July	1 day later
Bowling Green	206 km	4 May – 1 August	11 days earlier
Knoxville	231 km	4 May – 3 August	11 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Lexington

Buy plants ready to set out from 15 May to 29 July (from 24 April to 29 July for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 27 March to 1 July. Within 15 km of Lexington OpenStreetMap lists 1 plant nursery and 4 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Downtown Farmer's Market — market
7 km
Stuarto's Olive Oil Co — market
Euclid Avenue 804, Lexington · 5 km
Goodwill — market
East Brannon Road · 6 km
Wilson Nurseries — plant nursery
4 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