When to plant watermelons in York: 26 June – 5 August

In York, watermelon: sow for seedlings from 8 May to 8 July; plant into a greenhouse from 5 June to 5 August; plant out into open ground from 26 June to 5 August. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Botanic (garden centre, 0 km) and Dobbies (garden centre, 5 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Watermelon in York: soil, season and weather

In York the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 12 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 18 °C — the minimum on the watermelon card — only around 26 June, 75 days later.

Last spring frost	12 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 18 °C	26 June, 75 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	5 June – 5 August; June outside: 10.5 °C at night, 19 °C by day; card 18–35 °C
First autumn frost	14 November, 141 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	59
First harvest, if planted in this window	24 August – 3 October
Days left for picking	82
Daylight	16:38 on 29 May, 17:07 on 26 June
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 5 days; the driest month, November, has 13 rainy days

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

Watermelon in York: care after planting

Planted on 26 June: in the first weeks water every 5 days.

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

26 June — 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 York during the watermelon season

No month of the season averages above the watermelon card's 18–35 °C by day; the warmest, July, averages 20.8 °C. Months that stay below 18 °C even by day on average: September (17.9 °C), October (14.1 °C) and November (9.7 °C). Nights average below 18 °C in every month of the season, from 4.1 °C to 12.4 °C.

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
June	19	10.5	71	12	17:06
July	20.8	12.4	83	15	16:38
August	20.4	12.3	69	12	14:55
September	17.9	10.2	78	13	12:46
October	14.1	7.7	81	14	10:38
November	9.7	4.1	66	13	8:35

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Watermelon in nearby cities

Around York, Leeds is 1 day earlier and Sheffield 3 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Leeds	36 km	25 June – 14 August	1 day earlier
Bradford	48 km	27 June – 9 August	1 day later
Hull	54 km	27 June – 15 August	1 day later
Sheffield	69 km	29 June – 13 August	3 days later
Lincoln (United Kingdom)	89 km	25 June – 10 August	1 day earlier
Manchester	93 km	28 June – 5 August	2 days later

Where to buy watermelon plants and seeds near York

Buy plants ready to set out from 26 June to 5 August (from 5 June to 5 August for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 8 May to 8 July. Within 15 km of York OpenStreetMap lists 11 garden centres, 11 plant nurseries, 1 market and 3 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Newgate Market — market
0 km
The Balloon Tree — farm shop
10 km
Botanic — garden centre
Walmgate 27, YO1 9TX York · Sun, Mon 11:00–16:00; Wed–Sat 10:30–17:30 · 0 km
Dobbies — garden centre
Northfield Lane, YO26 6QE York · Mon–Wed, Fri, Sat 09:00–18:00; Thu 09:00–19:00; Sun 10:30–16:30 · 5 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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