What is the best month to plant melon?
Written by
Liu Xiaohui
Reviewed by
Prof. Charles Hartman, Ph.D.Once the soil temperature reaches 70°F (21°C), plant the melons, which would usually be around 2 weeks after your last frost date. In my Zone 6b garden, I pre-warmed the soil by using black plastic mulch 14 days before planting, which sped up their growth about 10 days faster than beds without the black plastic.
Southern Zones (7-10)
- April planting avoids summer heat stress
- Use row covers if temps dip below 60°F (15.5°C)
- ‘Desert King' thrives in early plantings
Northern Zones (3-6)
- Delay until June without soil warming
- Start seeds indoors 4 weeks pre-transplant
- ‘Minnesota Midget' resists late frosts
Use a $12 probe thermometer to monitor soil temps by digging a hole 4 inches deep in the soil and inserting the thermometer sometime between now and 10 AM. In 2023, I found in my trial that plastic mulch increased the temp of the soil by 8 to 12°F compared to bare soil. Cold zone gardeners may want to use clear plastic to trap heat once the soil reaches 70°F, and switch to black plastic once germination occurs to suppress weeds from growing.
Less chance of damage is possible from late frosts if plants are hardened off gradually. I usually begin with about a 2-hour outside exposure for 7 days. If night temperatures are going to dip below 55°F (12.7°C) I cover my baby plants with cloches at night. I did this with my ‘Golden Midget' crop when it unexpectedly got cold in May, and it worked!
Read the full article: How to Grow Melons: 9 Essential Steps for Success
