When to plant watermelons in Raleigh: 18 April – 10 August

In Raleigh, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 28 February to 13 July; plant into a greenhouse from 28 March to 10 August; plant out into open ground from 18 April to 10 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Fifth Season Gardening Co (garden centre, 8 km) and Pedal 2 Petal Bicycle & Plant Shop (garden centre, 8 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Raleigh: soil, season and weather

In Raleigh the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 13 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 18 April, 36 days later.

Last spring frost	13 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	18 April, 36 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	28 March – 10 August; March outside: 6.7 °C at night, 17.7 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	19 November, 215 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	16 June – 8 October
Days left for picking	156
Daylight	12:09 on 21 March, 13:11 on 18 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, October, has 7 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Raleigh: care after planting

Planted on 18 April: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

18 April — 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 Raleigh during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 32 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (16.6 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in April, May and October, November (6.7–15.8 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	22.4	10.9	97	9	13:05
May	26.1	15.8	124	12	14:03
June	30	19.7	111	13	14:34
July	32	22.3	136	16	14:22
August	30.2	21.2	137	15	13:32
September	27.6	18.4	156	12	12:26
October	22.4	12.8	77	7	11:19
November	16.6	6.7	83	7	10:18

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Raleigh, Charleston is 37 days earlier and Richmond 12 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Greensboro	109 km	28 April – 4 August	10 days later
Wilmington	186 km	2 April – 22 August	16 days earlier
Charlotte	208 km	13 April – 4 August	5 days earlier
Richmond	224 km	30 April – 7 August	12 days later
Columbia	294 km	28 March – 20 August	21 days earlier
Charleston	353 km	12 March – 10 September	37 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Raleigh

Buy plants ready to set out from 18 April to 10 August (from 28 March to 10 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 28 February to 13 July. Within 15 km of Raleigh OpenStreetMap lists 8 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops, 1 plant nursery, 4 markets and 6 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Fifth Season Gardening Co — garden centre
Hillsborough Street 5619, 27606 Raleigh · 8 km · fifthseasongardening.com
Pedal 2 Petal Bicycle & Plant Shop — garden centre
East Main Street 122, 27529 Garner · Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00 · 8 km
The Cleveland Plant & Flower Company — garden centre
Atlantic Boulevard 4200 · Mon–Fri 08:00–15:00; Sat 08:00–10:00 · 9 km
Garden Center at The Home Depot — garden centre
Mon–Sat 06:00–22:00; Sun 08:00–20:00 · 9 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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