When to plant watermelons in Vila Real: 18 May – 12 September

In Vila Real, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 30 March to 15 August; plant into a greenhouse from 27 April to 12 September; plant out into open ground from 18 May to 12 September.

Watermelon in Vila Real: soil, season and weather

In Vila Real the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 20 January, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 18 May, 118 days later.

Last spring frost	20 January
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	18 May, 118 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	27 April – 12 September; April outside: 8.4 °C at night, 19 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	22 December, 218 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	16 July – 10 November
Days left for picking	159
Daylight	13:31 on 20 April, 14:35 on 18 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, July, has 3 rainy days

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

Watermelon in Vila Real: care after planting

Planted on 18 May: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

18 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 Vila Real during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, August, averages 31.4 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: November (15.4 °C) and December (12.4 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 5.3 °C to 17.4 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	22.7	11.3	64	10	14:29
June	26.2	14.6	48	8	15:08
July	30.7	17.1	8	3	14:53
August	31.4	17.4	8	2	13:52
September	26.6	14.7	48	6	12:31
October	22	12.3	130	11	11:09
November	15.4	7.8	143	14	9:54
December	12.4	5.3	139	13	9:13

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant watermelon later than Vila Real; the closest date is in Porto, 4 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Braga	63 km	24 May – 13 September	6 days later
Viseu	73 km	27 May – 31 August	9 days later
Porto	75 km	22 May – 9 September	4 days later
Guarda	93 km	28 May – 16 August	10 days later
Bragança	99 km	29 May – 17 August	11 days later
Viana do Castelo	101 km	30 May – 2 September	12 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near Vila Real

Buy plants ready to set out from 18 May to 12 September (from 27 April to 12 September for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 30 March to 15 August. Within 15 km of Vila Real OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 15 farm-supply shops, 6 plant nurseries, 11 markets and 4 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Recorea — farm supply
3 km
Zona Agro - Armazém — farm supply
4 km
Bisalhães black pottery shop — market
1 km
Cooperativa Agrícola de Vila Real — market
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