When to plant watermelons in Punta Arenas: 4 November – 27 December

In Punta Arenas, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 16 September to 29 November; plant into a greenhouse from 14 October to 27 December; plant out into open ground from 4 November to 27 December.

Watermelon in Punta Arenas: soil, season and weather

In the median year the top 7 cm of soil in Punta Arenas does not reach 18 °C, the minimum on the watermelon card, before August; the date follows the last frost (28 October), and the bed stays cooler than the card asks.

Last spring frost	28 October
Into an unheated greenhouse	14 October – 27 December; October outside: 3 °C at night, 8.5 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	6 April, 154 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	2 January – 24 February
Days left for picking	95
Daylight	13:09 on 7 October, 15:04 on 4 November
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, February, has 15 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Punta Arenas: care after planting

Planted on 4 November: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

4 November — 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 Punta Arenas during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, February, averages 13.1 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November–April (8.4–13.1 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 3.2 °C to 6.7 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
November	10.7	4.5	77	16	15:44
December	12	5.8	80	18	16:55
January	13	6.7	70	18	16:23
February	13.1	6.6	69	15	14:33
March	11	5.2	81	17	12:35
April	8.4	3.2	84	15	10:26

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Punta Arenas, Trelew is 13 days earlier and Puerto Montt 55 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Río Gallegos	206 km	12 December – 26 December	38 days later
Ushuaia	250 km	from 19 December	45 days later
Coyhaique	848 km	from 10 December	36 days later
Comodoro Rivadavia	848 km	1 November – 12 February	3 days earlier
Trelew	1,177 km	22 October – 17 February	13 days earlier
Puerto Montt	1,309 km	29 December – 25 February	55 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Punta Arenas

Buy plants ready to set out from 4 November to 27 December (from 14 October to 27 December for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 16 September to 29 November. Within 15 km of Punta Arenas OpenStreetMap lists 1 market (collected 27 October 2026).

Mercado Municipal de Punta Arenas — market
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.

Questions