When to plant watermelons in Saint-Étienne: 14 June – 8 August

In Saint-Étienne, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 26 April to 11 July; plant into a greenhouse from 24 May to 8 August; plant out into open ground from 14 June to 8 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Fermes du Forez (farm shop, 4 km) and Saveurs de nos Fermes (farm shop, 11 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Saint-Étienne: soil, season and weather

In Saint-Étienne the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 13 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 14 June, 62 days later.

Last spring frost	13 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	14 June, 62 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	24 May – 8 August; May outside: 8 °C at night, 17.7 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	17 November, 156 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	12 August – 6 October
Days left for picking	97
Daylight	14:57 on 17 May, 15:39 on 14 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, August, has 8 rainy days

The same dates in Saint-Étienne hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Zucchini and Pumpkin.

Watermelon in Saint-Étienne: care after planting

Planted on 14 June: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

14 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 Saint-Étienne during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 25.7 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (16.3 °C) and November (9.9 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 2.9 °C to 14.5 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	23.3	12.9	99	14	15:39
July	25.5	14.5	68	9	15:21
August	25.7	14.5	64	8	14:09
September	21	11.1	71	10	12:35
October	16.3	7.7	105	11	11:01
November	9.9	2.9	83	12	9:32

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Saint-Étienne, Lyon is 18 days earlier and Grenoble 14 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Lyon	50 km	27 May – 16 August	18 days earlier
Valence	70 km	29 May – 12 August	16 days earlier
Grenoble	108 km	28 June – 16 July	14 days later
Clermont-Ferrand	109 km	27 June – 3 August	13 days later
Chambéry	120 km	3 June – 11 August	11 days earlier
Annecy	145 km	19 June – 5 August	5 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Saint-Étienne

Buy plants ready to set out from 14 June to 8 August (from 24 May to 8 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 26 April to 11 July. Within 15 km of Saint-Étienne OpenStreetMap lists 12 garden centres, 5 farm-supply shops, 1 plant nursery, 21 markets and 13 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Fermes du Forez — farm shop
Avenue Pierre Mendès France 8, 42270 Saint-Priest-en-Jarez · Thu, Fri 08:30–19:00; Sat 09:00–13:00 · 4 km
Saveurs de nos Fermes — farm shop
Avenue Jules Ferry 23, 42400 Saint-Chamond · Wed, Fri 08:30–18:00; Thu 08:30–12:30; Sat 08:30–13:30 · 11 km
Oasis jardin de cocagne — farm shop
Chemin des Muats, 42170 Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert · 13 km · oasis.reseaucocagne.asso.fr
Au jardin de Gauth — farm shop · sells: vegetables
Thu 17:00–20:00 · 13 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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