When to plant watermelons in Salem: 6 June – 8 August

In Salem, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 18 April to 11 July; plant into a greenhouse from 16 May to 8 August; plant out into open ground from 6 June to 8 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Olson's Premium Houseplants (garden centre, 0 km) and Legacy Garden Supply (garden centre, 3 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Salem: soil, season and weather

In Salem the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 27 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 6 June, 71 days later.

Last spring frost	27 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	6 June, 71 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	16 May – 8 August; May outside: 8.4 °C at night, 21 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	17 November, 164 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	4 August – 6 October
Days left for picking	105
Daylight	14:35 on 9 May, 15:28 on 6 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 1 rainy day

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

Watermelon in Salem: care after planting

Planted on 6 June: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

6 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 Salem during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 30.9 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (12 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4.8 °C to 14.8 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	25.3	11.4	42	7	15:35
July	30.3	14.2	6	1	15:17
August	30.9	14.8	9	2	14:07
September	25.9	12.2	47	7	12:35
October	18.1	8	109	11	11:02
November	12	4.8	162	16	9:35

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant watermelon later than Salem; the closest date is in Victoria, 7 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Portland	70 km	17 June – 13 August	11 days later
Eugene	98 km	19 June – 20 July	13 days later
Olympia	234 km	26 June – 6 August	20 days later
Medford	287 km	19 June – 11 July	13 days later
Seattle	302 km	21 June – 15 August	15 days later
Victoria	389 km	13 June – 11 September	7 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Salem

Buy plants ready to set out from 6 June to 8 August (from 16 May to 8 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 18 April to 11 July. Within 15 km of Salem OpenStreetMap lists 12 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 3 plant nurseries, 2 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Schreiner's Gardens — garden centre
Quinaby Road Northeast 3625 · 11 km · schreinersgardens.com
Olson's Premium Houseplants — garden centre
High Street Northeast 225, Salem · 0 km
Legacy Garden Supply — garden centre
25th Street Southeast 2011, 97302 Salem · 3 km
Wilco Farm Store — farm supply
River Road North 5013, 97303 · Mon–Sat 07:00–20:00; Sun 07:00–18:00 · 7 km · farmstore.com

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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