When to plant watermelons in Rochester: 2 June – 3 August

In Rochester, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 14 April to 6 July; plant into a greenhouse from 12 May to 3 August; plant out into open ground from 2 June to 3 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Crosman Seeds Factory Store (garden centre, 11 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Rochester: soil, season and weather

In Rochester the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 20 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 2 June, 43 days later.

Last spring frost	20 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	2 June, 43 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	12 May – 3 August; May outside: 9.8 °C at night, 18.3 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	12 November, 163 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	31 July – 1 October
Days left for picking	104
Daylight	14:16 on 5 May, 15:10 on 2 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, September, has 10 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Rochester: care after planting

Planted on 2 June: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

2 June — 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 Rochester during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 27.2 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (16.9 °C) and November (9.4 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in June and September–November (2.9–15.6 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	24	15.6	79	11	15:22
July	27.2	19.2	98	12	15:05
August	26.2	18.6	92	13	13:59
September	23.2	15.3	76	10	12:33
October	16.9	9.8	123	14	11:06
November	9.4	2.9	90	14	9:44

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant watermelon earlier than Rochester; the closest date is in Hamilton, 1 day earlier.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Buffalo	106 km	29 May – 1 August	4 days earlier
Syracuse (United States)	121 km	31 May – 28 July	2 days earlier
Ithaca	121 km	31 May – 30 July	2 days earlier
Toronto	153 km	29 May – 21 July	4 days earlier
Hamilton	181 km	1 June – 29 July	1 day earlier
Erie	231 km	30 May – 10 August	3 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Rochester

Buy plants ready to set out from 2 June to 3 August (from 12 May to 3 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 14 April to 6 July. Within 15 km of Rochester OpenStreetMap lists 8 garden centres, 7 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Crosman Seeds Factory Store — garden centre
West Commercial Street 511, 14445 East Rochester · 11 km
Village Gate Square — market
North Goodman Street 274, 14607 Rochester · 3 km · villagegatesquare.com
Gro-Moore Farms — market
East Henrietta Road 2811, 14467 Henrietta · 10 km
Rochester Public Market Shed A — market
Tue, Thu 06:00–12:00 · 3 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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