When to plant watermelon in Chicago
In Chicago, typical last spring frost is April 12 and typical first fall frost is November 11. Typical last spring frost: April 12. Watermelon in Chicago is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 124 days covers the 70–100 days this plant usually needs.
Watermelon
Comfortable
Comfortable in greenhouse
Comfortable in a cold frame
Watermelon in Chicago is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 124 days covers the 70–100 days this plant usually needs.
When to plantMay 15 – July 4
- Harvest
- July 24 – October 31
- Season vs crop
- 124 grow days vs 70–100 needed
- Typical frost (last spring – first fall)
- April 12 – November 11
Watermelon in Chicago is a good fit outdoors. The suitable growing window of 124 days covers the 70–100 days this plant usually needs.
Planting conditions
- Direct sow
- Grow outdoors
- Harvest
| Activity | Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Direct sow | May 15 – Jul 4 | Plant outdoors in this window. |
| Grow outdoors | Jul 5 – Jul 23 | Plants grow outdoors until harvest. |
| Harvest | Jul 24 – Oct 31 | 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 Chicago, sow watermelon every 21 days from May 15 to about June 26. 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 | April 17 | May 15 | July 24 – August 14 |
| 2 | May 8 | June 5 | August 14 – September 4 |
| 3 | May 29 | June 26 | September 4 – September 25 |
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 Chicago, 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 Chicago
- Radish Planting dates
- Arugula Planting dates
- Spinach Planting dates
- Lettuce Planting dates
- Kale Planting dates
- Beet Planting dates
- 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 Chicago use ERA5-Land cell 41.88, -87.68. How we calculated this · Algorithm 2026-10-season-10.