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California planting dates
When to Plant Watermelon in California
For watermelon in California, spring planting starts between Jan 1 (Imperial County) and May 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.
Photo: Young watermelon plant in a garden. Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, via Wikimedia Commons
When to plant watermelon in your county
Counties are matched to one of the four UC regions, and the region sets the dates.
Published dates for watermelon in California
| Type | Season | Region | Published dates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watermelons | spring | Interior Valleys | April-June | California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2) |
| Watermelons | spring | North & North Coast | May-June | California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2) |
| Watermelons | spring | South Coast | April-June | California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2) |
| Watermelons | winter | Desert Valleys | Jan-March | California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2, Table 'Recommended planting dates' (California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2) |
Planting dates for watermelon by California county
| County | Spring | Summer and fall |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Alpine | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Amador | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Butte | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Calaveras | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Colusa | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Contra Costa | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Del Norte | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| El Dorado | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Fresno | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Glenn | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Humboldt | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Imperial | Jan 1 to Mar 31 | n/a |
| Inyo | Jan 1 to Mar 31 | n/a |
| Kern | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Kings | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Lake | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Lassen | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Los Angeles | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Madera | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Marin | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Mariposa | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Mendocino | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Merced | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Modoc | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Mono | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Monterey | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Napa | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Nevada | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Orange | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Placer | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Plumas | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Riverside | Jan 1 to Mar 31 | n/a |
| Sacramento | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| San Benito | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| San Bernardino | Jan 1 to Mar 31 | n/a |
| San Diego | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| San Francisco | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| San Joaquin | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| San Luis Obispo | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| San Mateo | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Santa Barbara | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Santa Clara | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Santa Cruz | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Shasta | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Sierra | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Siskiyou | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Solano | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Sonoma | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Stanislaus | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Sutter | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Tehama | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Trinity | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Tulare | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Tuolumne | May 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Ventura | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Yolo | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
| Yuba | Apr 1 to Jun 30 | n/a |
More California planting guides
More planting dates for California
Planting dates for each crop in California, from the UC Master Gardener Program calendar.
Planting watermelon in California: questions
When do you plant watermelon in California?
For watermelon in California, spring planting starts between Jan 1 (Imperial County) and May 1 (Alameda County), according to UC Master Gardener Program.
Can I plant watermelon in the fall in California?
The UC Master Gardener Program calendar used here lists no fall window for watermelon.
How does frost timing change watermelon planting?
Spring windows follow the last frost and fall windows end before the first frost. See the California frost dates page for your county.
Where do these dates for watermelon come from?
California Master Gardener Handbook Table 13.2 Time of planting (UC Master Gardener Program statewide page; table 'Recommended planting dates', source: California Master Gardener Handbook, Table 13.2).
Why do the dates differ by county?
The calendar splits the state into four regions, and each county takes its region's dates.
Photos: Young watermelon plant in a garden: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, via Wikimedia Commons; Wave washing a beach beneath sandy bluffs on the California Coastal National Monument: mypubliclands, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Yellow desert wildflowers on dark volcanic ground near Amboy Crater: blmcalifornia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Wildflowers on a rocky slope in Short Canyon, Owens Peak Wilderness: Bureau of Land Management, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Orange and blue spring wildflowers below the eastern face of the Sierra Nevada at Owens Peak Wilderness: Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Staked tomato plant in a straw-mulched kitchen garden with green and ripening red tomatoes: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Pepper plant in a kitchen garden loaded with green, yellow and red peppers: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Potato plants growing in a home garden: Geo Lightspeed7, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Rows of sweet corn in a field: Wee Hong, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Clusters of long green bean pods hanging from a climbing bean vine: Nirajan_pant, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Cucumber vines climbing a wooden trellis in a kitchen garden: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Zucchini fruit on the plant: Schlaghecken Josef, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Young lettuce plant in garden soil: GT1976, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.