When to plant watermelons in Poitiers: 30 May – 10 August

In Poitiers, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 11 April to 13 July; plant into a greenhouse from 9 May to 10 August; plant out into open ground from 30 May to 10 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Plaisirs Fermiers (farm shop, 4 km) and Autour des plantes (farm shop, 6 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Poitiers: soil, season and weather

In Poitiers the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 19 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 30 May, 72 days later.

Last spring frost	19 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	30 May, 72 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	9 May – 10 August; May outside: 10.1 °C at night, 19.5 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	19 November, 173 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	28 July – 8 October
Days left for picking	114
Daylight	14:25 on 2 May, 15:31 on 30 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 7 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Poitiers: care after planting

Planted on 30 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

30 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 Poitiers during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 26.1 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (17.9 °C) and November (12.1 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 5.7 °C to 15.6 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	19.5	10.1	82	13	15:00
June	23.9	14.2	76	11	15:49
July	25.9	15.6	32	7	15:29
August	26.1	15.5	34	7	14:14
September	22.6	12.7	57	10	12:36
October	17.9	9.9	84	11	10:58
November	12.1	5.7	80	13	9:26

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Poitiers, Angers is 2 days earlier and Limoges 7 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Tours	94 km	31 May – 18 August	1 day later
Limoges	109 km	6 June – 18 August	7 days later
Angers	120 km	28 May – 18 August	2 days earlier
La Rochelle	123 km	28 May – 2 September	2 days earlier
Le Mans	158 km	31 May – 15 August	1 day later
Nantes	160 km	28 May – 20 August	2 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Poitiers

Buy plants ready to set out from 30 May to 10 August (from 9 May to 10 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 11 April to 13 July. Within 15 km of Poitiers OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops, 3 markets and 5 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Place du 11 Novembre 1918 — market
Sat 09:00–13:00 · 6 km
Autour des plantes — farm shop
Rue de la Longerolle 63, 86440 Migné-Auxances · "reservation by phone" · 6 km · autourdesplantes.fr
La Ferme du Mel'élie — farm shop · sells: goat_cheese
Mon, Sat "Livraisons. Merci de passer commande" · 7 km · jeparticipe-grandpoitiers.fr
Plaisirs Fermiers — farm shop
Rue Gustave Eiffel 3, 86000 Poitiers · 4 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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