When to plant watermelons in Lugano: 29 May – 26 August

In Lugano, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 10 April to 29 July; plant into a greenhouse from 8 May to 26 August; plant out into open ground from 29 May to 26 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Emporio La Stala (farm shop, 10 km) and La rosa di Jericho (garden centre, 11 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Lugano: soil, season and weather

In Lugano the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 11 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 29 May, 79 days later.

Last spring frost	11 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	29 May, 79 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	8 May – 26 August; May outside: 11.4 °C at night, 20.3 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	5 December, 190 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	27 July – 24 October
Days left for picking	131
Daylight	14:19 on 1 May, 15:25 on 29 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, December, has 8 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Lugano: care after planting

Planted on 29 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

29 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 Lugano during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 27.5 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (12.7 °C) and December (10 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in May, June and September–December (2.1–16.4 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	20.3	11.4	208	19	14:56
June	25.5	16.4	225	17	15:44
July	27.5	18.6	209	18	15:25
August	27.3	18.7	260	15	14:11
September	22.7	14.8	195	15	12:36
October	18.6	10.7	222	14	10:59
November	12.7	5.2	155	12	9:29
December	10	2.1	88	8	8:40

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Lugano, Milan is 17 days earlier and Bellinzona 21 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Bellinzona	22 km	19 June – 6 August	21 days later
Locarno	22 km	30 May – 13 June	1 day later
Como	23 km	29 May – 14 August	same day
Milan	63 km	12 May – 21 August	17 days earlier
Bergamo	65 km	31 May – 9 August	2 days later
Novara	66 km	23 May – 13 August	6 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Lugano

Buy plants ready to set out from 29 May to 26 August (from 8 May to 26 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 10 April to 29 July. Within 15 km of Lugano OpenStreetMap lists 8 garden centres, 2 markets and 10 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

La rosa di Jericho — garden centre
Via Statale · 11 km
Mercato di Ponte Tresa — market
Sat 07:00–13:00; Mon–Fri, Sun closed; public holidays closed · 8 km
Emporio La Stala — farm shop
Via Cantonale 2, 6805 Mezzovico · 24/7 · 10 km · lastala.ch
Agriturismo Alpe Zalto — farm shop
Alpe Zalto, 6950 · "Periodo di apertura: Da metà maggio a fine agosto. Settembre e ottobre su riservazione." · 12 km · agriturismo.ch

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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