When to plant watermelons in Valdivia: 11 December – 4 March

In Valdivia, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 23 October to 5 February; plant into a greenhouse from 20 November to 4 March; plant out into open ground from 11 December to 4 March.

Watermelon in Valdivia: soil, season and weather

In Valdivia the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 13 August, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 11 December, 120 days later.

Last spring frost	13 August
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	11 December, 120 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	20 November – 4 March; November outside: 9.3 °C at night, 17.6 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	13 June, 185 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	8 February – 2 May
Days left for picking	126
Daylight	14:14 on 13 November, 14:56 on 11 December
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, February, has 5 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Valdivia: care after planting

Planted on 11 December: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

11 December — 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 Valdivia during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, February, averages 22.6 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: April (16.3 °C), May (13.7 °C) and June (11.5 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 5.6 °C to 12.7 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
December	20.1	11	59	8	14:58
January	21.9	12.2	35	5	14:41
February	22.6	12.7	31	5	13:36
March	19.8	10.9	90	8	12:24
April	16.3	9	154	13	11:04
May	13.7	7.2	198	15	9:58
June	11.5	5.6	316	18	9:22

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around Valdivia, Los Ángeles is 18 days earlier and Bariloche 23 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Osorno	85 km	29 December – 21 February	18 days later
Temuco	131 km	9 December – 11 February	2 days earlier
Puerto Montt	186 km	29 December – 25 February	18 days later
Bariloche	222 km	from 3 January	23 days later
Los Ángeles	272 km	23 November – 20 February	18 days earlier
Concepción	332 km	6 December – 3 March	5 days earlier

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Valdivia

Buy plants ready to set out from 11 December to 4 March (from 20 November to 4 March for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 23 October to 5 February. Within 15 km of Valdivia OpenStreetMap lists 3 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 3 plant nurseries, 12 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 27 October 2026).

Feria Menzel — market
Diego de Almagro, Valdivia · Sun 08:00–15:00 · 4 km
Feria Persa Valdivia — market
Yungay, Valdivia · 0 km
Mercado Municipal de Valdivia — market
Yungay, Valdivia · 0 km
Minimarket Budis — market
Anfión Muñoz 360, Valdivia · 1 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.

Questions