When to plant watermelons in Orlando: 25 January – 15 September

In Orlando, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 7 December to 18 August; plant into a greenhouse from 4 January to 15 September; plant out into open ground from 25 January to 15 September. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Green Acres Nursery (plant nursery, 14 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Orlando: soil, season and weather

In Orlando frost, not soil, sets the date: the top 7 cm of soil warms to 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — around 10 January, 8 days before the last frost on 18 January, so planting waits only for the week after that frost.

Last spring frost	18 January
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	10 January, 8 days before the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	4 January – 15 September; January outside: 11.1 °C at night, 20.7 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	25 December, 334 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	25 March – 13 November
Days left for picking	275
Daylight	10:20 on 28 December, 10:42 on 25 January
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, February, has 8 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Orlando: care after planting

Planted on 25 January: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

25 January — 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 Orlando during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 31.4 °C. Nights average below 18 °C in November–April (11.1–17.6 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
January	20.7	11.1	70	7	10:31
February	24.2	14	56	8	11:11
March	26.5	15.3	59	7	11:58
April	28.4	17.6	77	9	12:50
May	30.7	20.5	134	13	13:33
June	31	23.1	239	23	13:57
July	31.4	24.1	231	26	13:48
August	31.2	24.2	277	26	13:11
September	29.9	23.1	264	22	12:21
October	27.7	20.3	117	13	11:31
November	24.6	16.1	71	8	10:45
December	22.5	13.6	69	7	10:20

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

2 of the nearest cities share Orlando's date.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Tampa	124 km	25 January – 14 September	same day
St. Petersburg	150 km	from 25 January	same day
Gainesville	154 km	18 February – 14 September	24 days later
Jacksonville	201 km	11 February – 17 September	17 days later
Tallahassee	351 km	24 February – 13 September	30 days later
Savannah	395 km	25 February – 14 September	31 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Orlando

Buy plants ready to set out from 25 January to 15 September (from 4 January to 15 September for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 7 December to 18 August. Within 15 km of Orlando OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres, 2 plant nurseries and 1 market (collected 20 October 2026).

East End Market — market
5 km
Green Acres Nursery — plant nursery
Bunnell Road 1378, 32703 Apopka · 14 km
Brentwood Nursery — garden centre
13 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
15 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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