When to plant watermelons in Neuchâtel: 6 June – 19 August

In Neuchâtel, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 18 April to 22 July; plant into a greenhouse from 16 May to 19 August; plant out into open ground from 6 June to 19 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Jardin de la main (garden centre, 1 km) and Garden-Outlet XXL (garden centre, 10 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Neuchâtel: soil, season and weather

In Neuchâtel the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 29 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 6 June, 69 days later.

Last spring frost	29 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	6 June, 69 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	16 May – 19 August; May outside: 9.5 °C at night, 18 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	28 November, 175 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	4 August – 17 October
Days left for picking	116
Daylight	14:47 on 9 May, 15:44 on 6 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, September, has 12 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Neuchâtel: care after planting

Planted on 6 June: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

6 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 Neuchâtel during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 25.1 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (15.6 °C) and November (9.2 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4.3 °C to 16.6 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	23.7	14.7	115	15	15:52
July	25.1	16.5	112	13	15:32
August	25.1	16.6	101	13	14:16
September	20.5	13.2	96	12	12:37
October	15.6	9.2	113	13	10:57
November	9.2	4.3	114	14	9:24

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Neuchâtel, Mulhouse is 5 days earlier and Fribourg 15 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Fribourg	27 km	21 June – 28 July	15 days later
Bern	40 km	21 June – 25 July	15 days later
Lausanne	57 km	19 June – 11 August	13 days later
Besançon	75 km	3 June – 9 August	3 days earlier
Basel	81 km	5 June – 11 August	1 day earlier
Mulhouse	90 km	1 June – 8 August	5 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Neuchâtel

Buy plants ready to set out from 6 June to 19 August (from 16 May to 19 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 18 April to 22 July. Within 15 km of Neuchâtel OpenStreetMap lists 4 garden centres, 3 farm-supply shops, 2 plant nurseries, 2 markets and 20 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Glace de la ferme — farm shop
11 km · glace-ducommun.ch
Garohof — farm shop
13 km · garohof.ch
Garden-Outlet XXL — garden centre
Gewerbestrasse 14, 3236 Gampelen · Mon–Fri 09:00–18:30; Sat 09:00–17:00 · 10 km · blumenmarkt.ch
Jardin de la main — garden centre
Rue de la Main 6A, 2000 · 1 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.

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