When to plant watermelons in Sacramento: 24 April – 1 September

In Sacramento, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 6 March to 4 August; plant into a greenhouse from 3 April to 1 September; plant out into open ground from 24 April to 1 September. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include The Gifted Gardener (garden centre, 1 km) and The Plant Foundry (plant nursery, 4 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Sacramento: soil, season and weather

In Sacramento the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 18 February, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 24 April, 65 days later.

Last spring frost	18 February
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	24 April, 65 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	3 April – 1 September; April outside: 9.4 °C at night, 23.5 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	11 December, 231 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	22 June – 30 October
Days left for picking	172
Daylight	12:24 on 27 March, 13:32 on 24 April
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 0 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Sacramento: care after planting

Planted on 24 April: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

24 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 Sacramento during the watermelon season

Days average above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C in July (35.9 °C) and August (35.5 °C). Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: December (13.6 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4.8 °C to 16.4 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
April	23.5	9.4	33	5	13:11
May	28.6	12.4	18	3	14:15
June	33.6	15.1	3	0	14:51
July	35.9	15.9	0	0	14:37
August	35.5	16.4	1	0	13:42
September	33	15.5	12	2	12:29
October	26.9	12	46	4	11:15
November	18.5	7.2	66	7	10:06
December	13.6	4.8	126	10	9:30

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Sacramento, Fresno is 14 days earlier and Carson City 19 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Stockton	71 km	24 April – 24 August	same day
San Jose	142 km	from 25 April	1 day later
Carson City	162 km	13 May – 13 July	19 days later
Reno	179 km	29 April – 19 July	5 days later
Redding	236 km	28 April – 1 September	4 days later
Fresno	254 km	10 April – 26 August	14 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Sacramento

Buy plants ready to set out from 24 April to 1 September (from 3 April to 1 September for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 6 March to 4 August. Within 15 km of Sacramento OpenStreetMap lists 5 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery, 8 markets and 7 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

The Gifted Gardener — garden centre
J Street 1730, 95811 Sacramento · 1 km
The Plant Foundry — plant nursery
Broadway 3500, 95817 Sacramento · 4 km · plantfoundry.com
Green Acres Nursery & Supply — farm supply
Jackson Road 8501, 95826 · 10 km
Farmers Market — market
Response Road 1650, 95815 Sacramento · Apr–Oct Mon 09:30–13:30 · 6 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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