When to plant

• Sow seeds outdoors about 3 weeks after your average last spring frost.
• Ready to harvest about 85 days after planting.

Ripe when the tendril nearest the fruit turns brown.

Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.

Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b

Growing basics

Sun

Full sun (6+ hours)

Spacing

36–60 in

Soil temperature

At least 70°F

Time to harvest

About 85 days

Plant family

Squash family (cucurbits)

Harvest per plant

About 15 lb

Seeds keep

About 4 years

Companions

Keep apart: Potato. Potatoes and squash-family crops compete for water and share pests.

Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.

Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.

Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.

Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.

Varieties to try

• Sugar Baby 75 days: small icebox melon
• Crimson Sweet 85 days: large, sweet
• Charleston Gray 90 days: large, long, disease-resistant

Pests and problems

Grow it well

• Build a trellis for cucumbers and beans

Tips

• Know when a melon is ripe. A ripe cantaloupe slips off the vine with a gentle push and smells sweet. A watermelon is ready when the spot where it rests turns creamy yellow and the curly tendril nearest it has dried up.
• Warm the soil for melons and peppers. Lay black plastic over the bed a week or two before planting, and cut holes to plant through. It warms the soil several degrees, so heat lovers like melons, peppers, and squash get off to a faster start.
• Cover young squash until they flower. Row cover over young squash and cucumbers keeps out squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and vine borers. Take it off when the first female flowers open, so bees can pollinate them.

All 6 tips for watermelon →

Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.