When to plant watermelons in Santa Barbara: 14 May – 5 September

In Santa Barbara, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 26 March to 8 August; plant into a greenhouse from 23 April to 5 September; plant out into open ground from 14 May to 5 September. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include 7 Day Nursery (garden centre, 4 km) and Lane Farms Produce Stand (farm shop, 10 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Santa Barbara: soil, season and weather

In Santa Barbara the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 15 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 14 May, 60 days later.

Last spring frost	15 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	14 May, 60 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	23 April – 5 September; April outside: 7.5 °C at night, 19.6 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	15 December, 215 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	12 July – 3 November
Days left for picking	156
Daylight	13:04 on 16 April, 13:55 on 14 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 0 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Santa Barbara: care after planting

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

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

14 May — 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 Santa Barbara during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 29.1 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: December (15.7 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4.9 °C to 17.1 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	21.2	9.4	13	2	13:57
June	25.7	13.8	3	1	14:27
July	28.8	17	0	0	14:15
August	29.1	17.1	3	1	13:28
September	26.8	15	10	2	12:25
October	23.7	11.3	20	1	11:22
November	19	7.1	46	4	10:23
December	15.7	4.9	112	6	9:52

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant watermelon earlier than Santa Barbara; the closest date is in San Jose, 19 days earlier.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Bakersfield	122 km	2 April – 4 September	42 days earlier
Riverside	218 km	2 April – 9 September	42 days earlier
Fresno	259 km	10 April – 26 August	34 days earlier
San Jose	380 km	from 25 April	19 days earlier
Ensenada	405 km	29 March – 4 September	46 days earlier
Stockton	419 km	24 April – 24 August	20 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Santa Barbara

Buy plants ready to set out from 14 May to 5 September (from 23 April to 5 September for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 26 March to 8 August. Within 15 km of Santa Barbara OpenStreetMap lists 4 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 2 plant nurseries, 1 market and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Lane Farms Produce Stand — farm shop
South Walnut Lane 308, 93111 Santa Barbara · Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00; Sun closed · 10 km · lanefarmssb.com
Botanic Gardens Nursery — plant nursery
4 km
Por La Mar Nursery — plant nursery
10 km
7 Day Nursery — garden centre
State Street 3301, 93105 Santa Barbara · Mon–Sun 09:00–18:00+ · 4 km · 7daynursery.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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