When to plant watermelons in Little Rock: 22 April – 11 August

In Little Rock, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 4 March to 14 July; plant into a greenhouse from 1 April to 11 August; plant out into open ground from 22 April to 11 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Cantrell Gardens Nursery (garden centre, 7 km) and Maumelle Nursery (garden centre, 12 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Little Rock: soil, season and weather

In Little Rock the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 3 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 22 April, 50 days later.

Last spring frost	3 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	22 April, 50 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	1 April – 11 August; April outside: 11.6 °C at night, 22.4 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	20 November, 212 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	20 June – 9 October
Days left for picking	153
Daylight	12:18 on 25 March, 13:17 on 22 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, September, has 8 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Little Rock: care after planting

Planted on 22 April: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

22 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 Little Rock during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 33.3 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (17.4 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in April, May and October, November (7.3–16.7 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	22.4	11.6	163	11	13:03
May	27	16.7	133	14	13:58
June	31.6	21.3	102	11	14:28
July	33.3	23.6	78	11	14:17
August	32.1	22.8	101	11	13:29
September	30	19.8	73	8	12:26
October	24.3	14	77	7	11:21
November	17.4	7.3	76	7	10:22

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Little Rock, Jackson is 37 days earlier and Fayetteville 17 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Fort Smith	203 km	1 May – 9 August	9 days later
Memphis	209 km	28 April – 14 August	6 days later
Fayetteville	223 km	9 May – 1 August	17 days later
Shreveport	290 km	20 March – 30 August	33 days earlier
Joplin	327 km	5 May – 23 July	13 days later
Jackson	335 km	16 March – 19 August	37 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Little Rock

Buy plants ready to set out from 22 April to 11 August (from 1 April to 11 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 4 March to 14 July. Within 15 km of Little Rock OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres (collected 20 October 2026).

Cantrell Gardens Nursery — garden centre
Cantrell Road 7800, 72227 Little Rock · 7 km · cantrellgardens.com
Maumelle Nursery — garden centre
Maumelle Boulevard, North Little Rock · 12 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