When to plant watermelon in Orlando
In Orlando, typical last spring frost is January 19 and typical first fall frost is January 18. Typical last spring frost: January 19. Watermelon in Orlando is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 265 days covers the 70–100 days this plant usually needs.
Watermelon
Comfortable
Comfortable in greenhouse
Tight fit in a cold frame
Watermelon in Orlando is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 265 days covers the 70–100 days this plant usually needs.
When to plantFebruary 23 – April 19
- Harvest
- May 4 – July 28
- Season vs crop
- 265 grow days vs 70–100 needed
- Typical frost (last spring – first fall)
- January 19 – January 18
Watermelon in Orlando is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 265 days covers the 70–100 days this plant usually needs.
Planting conditions
- Direct sow
- Grow outdoors
- Harvest
| Activity | Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Direct sow | Feb 23 – Apr 19 | Plant outdoors in this window. |
| Grow outdoors | Apr 20 – May 3 | Plants grow outdoors until harvest. |
| Harvest | May 4 – Jul 28 | Expected harvest from typical days to harvest. |
- Direct sow
- Grow outdoors
- Harvest
Planting and growing across the year
Planting is the sow / plant-out window. Growing is daytime air versus this plant’s ideal (21 – 35 °C70 – 95 °F21 – 35 °C (70 – 95 °F)) and tolerable (16 – 38 °C61 – 100 °F16 – 38 °C (61 – 100 °F)) ranges.
- Ideal / plantable
- Tolerable
- Too cold
- Too hot
- Outside window
Key dates
Sow again for a steady harvest
Sow quick crops like radish and lettuce every 1–2 weeks, and slower ones like beans and carrots every 2–3 weeks. Stop when there is not enough time left before your first autumn frost for the crop to mature.
In Orlando, sow watermelon every 21 days from February 23 to about April 6. That is about 3 sowings in a typical year — a short row or a few square feet each time. Shorter autumn days slow growth, so we allow two extra weeks before the season end.
- Start indoors
- Grow indoors
- Harden off
- Transplant
- Grow outdoors
- Harvest
| Sowing | Start indoors | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 26 | February 23 | May 4 – May 25 |
| 2 | February 16 | March 16 | May 25 – June 15 |
| 3 | March 9 | April 6 | June 15 – July 6 |
These dates are deliberately cautious. They come out earlier than common rules like '8 weeks before first frost', because we use the low-risk frost date, leave time for picking and add two weeks for shorter autumn days.
How these dates are judged
- Ideal conditions
- Daytime air from 21 – 35 °C70 – 95 °F21 – 35 °C (70 – 95 °F).
- Suitable conditions
- Daytime air from 16 – 38 °C61 – 100 °F16 – 38 °C (61 – 100 °F).
- Last frost and first frost
- Typical spring and fall frost dates for Orlando, shown in the key dates.
- Days to harvest
- 70–100 days from seed, from typical days to harvest.
- Sowing window
- Dated sow and harvest bars use frost dates, soil minima, night limits, and last-sow count-back from typical crop timing. Air ratings on the weekly chart colour only weeks inside that same window — see weekly temperatures and windows.
Other plants for Orlando
- Zucchini Planting dates
- Cucumber Planting dates
- Green bean Planting dates
- Tomato Planting dates
- Bell pepper Planting dates
Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics.
Based on 35 years (1991–2025) of ERA5-Land data from Open-Meteo, for an area of about 10 km. Typical dates, not a guarantee.
Dates for Orlando use ERA5-Land cell 28.54, -81.38. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.