When to plant watermelons in Stoke-on-Trent: 20 June – 6 August

In Stoke-on-Trent, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 2 May to 9 July; plant into a greenhouse from 30 May to 6 August; plant out into open ground from 20 June to 6 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Northwood Garden Centre (garden centre, 6 km) and Jacksons Nurseries and Tea Room (garden centre, 6 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Stoke-on-Trent: soil, season and weather

In Stoke-on-Trent the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 27 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 20 June, 54 days later.

Last spring frost	27 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	20 June, 54 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	30 May – 6 August; May outside: 7.1 °C at night, 16 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	15 November, 148 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	18 August – 4 October
Days left for picking	89
Daylight	16:12 on 23 May, 16:56 on 20 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, August, has 15 rainy days

The same dates in Stoke-on-Trent hold for Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Zucchini and Pumpkin.

Watermelon in Stoke-on-Trent: care after planting

Planted on 20 June: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

20 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 Stoke-on-Trent during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 20.2 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: September (17.2 °C), October (13.4 °C) and November (9.1 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4 °C to 12.1 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	18.8	10.4	80	14	16:54
July	20.2	12.1	88	15	16:28
August	19.7	12	70	15	14:49
September	17.2	10	84	14	12:45
October	13.4	7.6	98	14	10:41
November	9.1	4	75	14	8:43

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Stoke-on-Trent, Liverpool is 3 days earlier and Wrexham 15 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Derby	48 km	22 June – 13 August	2 days later
Manchester	50 km	28 June – 5 August	8 days later
Wrexham	54 km	5 July – 14 August	15 days later
Sheffield	61 km	29 June – 13 August	9 days later
Birmingham	63 km	20 June – 10 August	same day
Liverpool	68 km	17 June – 17 August	3 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Stoke-on-Trent

Buy plants ready to set out from 20 June to 6 August (from 30 May to 6 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 2 May to 9 July. Within 15 km of Stoke-on-Trent OpenStreetMap lists 12 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 3 plant nurseries, 6 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Northwood Garden Centre — garden centre
Clayton Road, ST5 4DH Newcastle-under-Lyme · Mon–Sun 10:00–16:00 · 6 km · northwoodgardencentre.co.uk
Oh Shoot! Plants — garden centre
High Street 52, CW12 1BA Congleton · Tue, Thu–Sun 10:00–16:00; Wed 10:00–14:00 · 15 km
Jacksons Nurseries and Tea Room — garden centre
Thorney Edge Road, ST9 9LE Stoke-on-Trent · 6 km
Bridge End Garden Centre — garden centre
Mon–Sun 09:00–17:30 · 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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