When to plant watermelons in Redding: 28 April – 1 September

In Redding, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 10 March to 4 August; plant into a greenhouse from 7 April to 1 September; plant out into open ground from 28 April to 1 September. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include The Harvest Company (garden centre, 2 km) and Palo Cedro Feed (farm supply, 13 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Redding: soil, season and weather

In Redding the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 15 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 28 April, 72 days later.

Last spring frost	15 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	28 April, 72 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	7 April – 1 September; April outside: 9 °C at night, 22.5 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	11 December, 227 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	26 June – 30 October
Days left for picking	168
Daylight	12:37 on 31 March, 13:48 on 28 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 0 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Redding: care after planting

Planted on 28 April: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

28 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 Redding during the watermelon season

Days average above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C in June (35.2 °C), July (39.4 °C) and August (38 °C). Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (17.6 °C) and December (13.1 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in April–June and September–December (4.7–17.9 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	22.5	9	69	8	13:16
May	28.5	13	39	5	14:25
June	35.2	17.9	9	1	15:04
July	39.4	21.6	0	0	14:49
August	38	21	6	1	13:49
September	33.4	17.7	20	3	12:30
October	26.2	12.6	63	5	11:11
November	17.6	7.6	123	8	9:57
December	13.1	4.7	166	11	9:17

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Redding, Sacramento is 4 days earlier and Medford 52 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Medford	201 km	19 June – 11 July	52 days later
Sacramento	236 km	24 April – 1 September	4 days earlier
Reno	249 km	29 April – 19 July	1 day later
Carson City	274 km	13 May – 13 July	15 days later
Stockton	307 km	24 April – 24 August	4 days earlier
San Jose	364 km	from 25 April	3 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Redding

Buy plants ready to set out from 28 April to 1 September (from 7 April to 1 September for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 10 March to 4 August. Within 15 km of Redding OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 1 farm-supply shop, 3 plant nurseries and 1 market (collected 28 October 2026).

The Harvest Company — garden centre
Athens Avenue 2420, 96001 · 2 km · theharvestco.com
Palo Cedro Feed — farm supply
Old 44 Drive 22020, 96073 Palo Cedro · Mon–Sat 08:30–18:00; Sun 10:00–16:00 · 13 km · palocedrofeed.com
Lao Market — market
South Market Street 2680, 96001 · Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00; Sun 10:00–14:00 · 2 km
The McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Nursery — plant nursery
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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