When to plant watermelons in Richmond: 30 April – 7 August

In Richmond, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 12 March to 10 July; plant into a greenhouse from 9 April to 7 August; plant out into open ground from 30 April to 7 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Mechanicsville Power Equipment (farm supply, 9 km) and Southern States (farm supply, 15 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Richmond: soil, season and weather

In Richmond the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 26 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 30 April, 35 days later.

Last spring frost	26 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	30 April, 35 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	9 April – 7 August; April outside: 9.7 °C at night, 21.5 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	16 November, 200 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	28 June – 5 October
Days left for picking	141
Daylight	12:38 on 2 April, 13:42 on 30 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, November, has 8 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Richmond: care after planting

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

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

30 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 Richmond during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 32.6 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (15.5 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in April, May and October, November (5.7–14.7 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	21.5	9.7	86	9	13:09
May	25.1	14.7	115	12	14:11
June	29.9	19.1	96	10	14:44
July	32.6	22.2	108	13	14:31
August	30.5	21	105	12	13:38
September	27.5	18.1	104	9	12:28
October	21.7	12.2	87	7	11:16
November	15.5	5.7	68	8	10:10

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Richmond, Raleigh is 12 days earlier and Hagerstown 23 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Washington, D.C.	156 km	4 May – 7 August	4 days later
Annapolis	179 km	8 May – 10 August	8 days later
Baltimore	207 km	5 May – 13 August	5 days later
Raleigh	224 km	18 April – 10 August	12 days earlier
Hagerstown	231 km	23 May – 2 August	23 days later
Dover	246 km	11 May – 17 August	11 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Richmond

Buy plants ready to set out from 30 April to 7 August (from 9 April to 7 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 12 March to 10 July. Within 15 km of Richmond OpenStreetMap lists 6 garden centres, 4 farm-supply shops, 2 plant nurseries, 5 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Southern States — farm supply · sells seed
Alverser Drive 1200, 23113 · 15 km
Mechanicsville Power Equipment — farm supply
Mechanicsville Turnpike 8179, 23111 Mechanicsville · 9 km
RVA Black Farmers Market — market
Westwood Avenue 1311, 23227 Richmond · Jun–Nov: Sun[2, 4] 11:00–15:00 · 3 km · rvablackfarmersmarket.com
Dorey Farmer's Market — market
Darbytown Road 2999, 23231 Henrico · Jun–Oct: Sat 09:00–12:00 · 14 km · doreyparkfarmersmarket.org

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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