When to plant watermelons in Tallahassee: 24 February – 13 September

In Tallahassee, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 6 January to 16 August; plant into a greenhouse from 3 February to 13 September; plant out into open ground from 24 February to 13 September. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Native Nurseries (plant nursery, 5 km) and Esposito Garden Center (garden centre, 7 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Tallahassee: soil, season and weather

In Tallahassee the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 22 January, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 24 February, 33 days later.

Last spring frost	22 January
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	24 February, 33 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	3 February – 13 September; February outside: 10.3 °C at night, 20.7 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	23 December, 302 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	24 April – 11 November
Days left for picking	243
Daylight	10:37 on 27 January, 11:22 on 24 February
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, November, has 6 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Tallahassee: care after planting

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

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

24 February — 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 Tallahassee during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 32.2 °C. Nights average below 18 °C in February–April and October–December (9.3–17.1 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
February	20.7	10.3	88	8	11:07
March	23.3	12.2	113	10	11:57
April	26.2	14.6	106	8	12:54
May	30.3	18.8	95	11	13:41
June	32.1	22.2	140	18	14:06
July	32.2	23.4	150	21	13:56
August	31.8	23.3	167	21	13:16
September	30.7	21.5	130	13	12:23
October	27.5	17.1	55	6	11:28
November	22.5	11.9	47	6	10:38
December	18.8	9.3	104	8	10:12

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Tallahassee, Tampa is 30 days earlier and Macon 27 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Gainesville	207 km	18 February – 14 September	6 days earlier
Jacksonville	252 km	11 February – 17 September	13 days earlier
Macon	272 km	23 March – 22 August	27 days later
Pensacola	282 km	23 February – 9 September	1 day earlier
Montgomery	288 km	17 March – 20 August	21 days later
Tampa	328 km	25 January – 14 September	30 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Tallahassee

Buy plants ready to set out from 24 February to 13 September (from 3 February to 13 September for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 6 January to 16 August. Within 15 km of Tallahassee OpenStreetMap lists 2 garden centres and 3 plant nurseries (collected 28 October 2026).

Tallahassee Nurseries — plant nursery
5 km · tallahasseenurseries.com
Esposito Garden Center — garden centre
Mon–Sat 07:30–18:00; Sun 08:00–18:00 · 7 km · espositogardencenter.com
Native Nurseries — plant nursery
Centerville Road 1661, 32308 Tallahassee · Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00; Sat 09:00–17:00 · 5 km · nativenurseries.com
Heinz Nurseries — plant nursery
Bradfordville Road 4140, 32309 Tallahassee · Mon–Sat 08:00–18:00; Sun 10:00–16:00 · 15 km · heinznurseries.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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