When to plant watermelons in Lille: 11 June – 12 August

In Lille, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 23 April to 15 July; plant into a greenhouse from 21 May to 12 August; plant out into open ground from 11 June to 12 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Champignonnière Duribreux (farm shop, 4 km) and Otera (farm shop, 6 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Lille: soil, season and weather

In Lille the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 8 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 11 June, 64 days later.

Last spring frost	8 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	11 June, 64 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	21 May – 12 August; May outside: 8.6 °C at night, 18.4 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	21 November, 163 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	9 August – 10 October
Days left for picking	104
Daylight	15:25 on 14 May, 16:24 on 11 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 10 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Lille: care after planting

Planted on 11 June: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

11 June — 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 Lille during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 23.3 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (16 °C) and November (10.5 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 5 °C to 14.3 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	22.1	12.5	64	11	16:27
July	23.1	13.8	54	10	16:04
August	23.3	14.3	61	11	14:35
September	20.5	11.9	60	10	12:41
October	16	9.2	80	12	10:48
November	10.5	5	74	12	9:00

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Lille, Ghent is 11 days earlier and Bruges 4 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Bruges	65 km	15 June – 21 August	4 days later
Ghent	66 km	31 May – 15 August	11 days earlier
Mons	66 km	10 June – 10 August	1 day earlier
Brussels	94 km	8 June – 13 August	3 days earlier
Amiens	98 km	12 June – 12 August	1 day later
Charleroi	101 km	10 June – 6 August	1 day earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Lille

Buy plants ready to set out from 11 June to 12 August (from 21 May to 12 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 23 April to 15 July. Within 15 km of Lille OpenStreetMap lists 14 garden centres, 3 farm-supply shops, 4 plant nurseries, 20 markets and 33 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Marché de Fives — market
Tue, Thu, Sun 07:00–14:00 · 2 km
Marché d'Hellemmes — market
Wed, Sat 08:00–13:00 · 4 km
Champignonnière Duribreux — farm shop · sells: mushroom
Pavé du Moulin 2, 59260 Lille · Thu 17:00–19:00 · 4 km · champignonnieredur.wixsite.com
Otera — farm shop
Rue Louis Constant 1, 59491 Villeneuve-d'Ascq · Mon–Sat 08:30–20:00; Sun 08:30–13:00 · 6 km · oteradusart.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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