When to plant watermelons in Tours: 31 May – 18 August

In Tours, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 12 April to 21 July; plant into a greenhouse from 10 May to 18 August; plant out into open ground from 31 May to 18 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include La belle au pois gourmand (farm shop, 6 km) and Ferme du Peuplier (farm shop, 12 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in Tours: soil, season and weather

In Tours the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 18 March, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 31 May, 74 days later.

Last spring frost	18 March
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	31 May, 74 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	10 May – 18 August; May outside: 10 °C at night, 19.3 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	27 November, 180 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	29 July – 16 October
Days left for picking	121
Daylight	14:32 on 3 May, 15:39 on 31 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 6 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Tours: care after planting

Planted on 31 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

31 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 Tours during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 25.7 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: October (17.5 °C) and November (11.6 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 5.4 °C to 15.5 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	19.3	10	76	12	15:05
June	23.8	14.2	57	11	15:56
July	25.6	15.5	39	6	15:36
August	25.7	15.5	41	8	14:18
September	22.2	12.7	56	9	12:37
October	17.5	9.7	83	13	10:56
November	11.6	5.4	75	13	9:21

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Tours, Angers is 3 days earlier and Limoges 6 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Le Mans	77 km	31 May – 15 August	same day
Angers	94 km	28 May – 18 August	3 days earlier
Poitiers	94 km	30 May – 10 August	1 day earlier
Orléans	107 km	2 June – 16 August	2 days later
Nantes	170 km	28 May – 20 August	3 days earlier
Limoges	179 km	6 June – 18 August	6 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Tours

Buy plants ready to set out from 31 May to 18 August (from 10 May to 18 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 12 April to 21 July. Within 15 km of Tours OpenStreetMap lists 17 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery, 37 markets and 12 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Marché Halle de la Morandière — market
Rue de la République, 37230 Fondettes · Wed 08:00–12:30; Sun 08:00–12:30 · 7 km
Marché place du 11 Novembre — market
Place du 11 Novembre, 37510 Ballan-Miré · Fri · 8 km
La belle au pois gourmand — farm shop
Rue du Grand Vaudanière, 37210 Rochecorbon · Fri 16:00–19:00 · 6 km · labelleaupoisgourmand.fr
Ferme du Peuplier — farm shop
La Huaudière 30, 37320 Esvres · Mon–Fri 17:00–19:00; Sat 10:00–12:00 · 12 km · ferme-du-peuplier.fr

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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