When to plant watermelons in Tampa: 25 January – 14 September

In Tampa, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 7 December to 17 August; plant into a greenhouse from 4 January to 14 September; plant out into open ground from 25 January to 14 September. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include South Tampa Farm (farm shop, 8 km) and Tampa Bay Farmers Market (farm shop, 10 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Tampa: soil, season and weather

In Tampa frost, not soil, sets the date: the top 7 cm of soil warms to 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — around 10 January, 8 days before the last frost on 18 January, so planting waits only for the week after that frost.

Last spring frost	18 January
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	10 January, 8 days before the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	4 January – 14 September; January outside: 11.2 °C at night, 20.6 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	24 December, 333 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	25 March – 12 November
Days left for picking	274
Daylight	10:23 on 28 December, 10:44 on 25 January
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, November, has 7 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Tampa: care after planting

Planted on 25 January: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

25 January — 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 Tampa during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 31.5 °C. Nights average below 18 °C in November–March (11.2–16 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
January	20.6	11.2	80	7	10:33
February	24.1	14.2	60	7	11:12
March	25.9	15.4	56	7	11:58
April	28.5	18.1	68	9	12:49
May	30.9	20.9	104	11	13:31
June	31.1	23.6	205	23	13:54
July	31.5	24.4	226	26	13:45
August	31.3	24.5	248	26	13:09
September	30.4	23.2	190	21	12:21
October	28.6	20.4	94	10	11:32
November	25.3	16	52	7	10:47
December	22.9	13.7	74	6	10:23

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

2 of the nearest cities share Tampa's date.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
St. Petersburg	25 km	from 25 January	same day
Orlando	124 km	25 January – 15 September	same day
Gainesville	189 km	18 February – 14 September	24 days later
Jacksonville	276 km	11 February – 17 September	17 days later
Tallahassee	328 km	24 February – 13 September	30 days later
Savannah	478 km	25 February – 14 September	31 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Tampa

Buy plants ready to set out from 25 January to 14 September (from 4 January to 14 September for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 7 December to 17 August. Within 15 km of Tampa OpenStreetMap lists 3 garden centres, 1 market and 3 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Tampa Bay Farmers Market — farm shop
North Armenia Avenue 10001 · 10 km · tampabayfarmersmarket.com
South Tampa Farm — farm shop
dawn–dusk · 8 km
Sprout Gardening — garden centre
7 km
Wolfe's Produce Market — farm shop
14 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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