Fruit and melons: when to plant them
Strawberries, melons and watermelons go in during narrow windows. Strawberries also in late summer; melons and watermelons only once the warmth is steady. The sheets give the months by region.
Strawberries, melons and watermelons are garden fruit with narrow windows that do not match. The strawberry is planted and then stays. Melon and watermelon are warm-season annuals and, in the north, often want a greenhouse or a tunnel.
Strawberries are planted in spring, once the soil can be worked, or in August or September so they root before the next year's crop. The crown stays level with the soil, 35-40 cm apart in the row. Do not plant into frozen or sodden soil. Melon, for the RHS, is sown indoors from mid-April to mid-May, at 18-21 °C, and planted out in late May or June, once nights stay above 12-15 °C. In Sicily the open crop runs from April through June. Watermelon, on the RHS melon page, is grown in a greenhouse or tunnel with a cool-climate or compact variety: that page does not print a separate sowing month for it. In Sicily the open watermelon crop runs from mid-March to mid-June.
For melon and watermelon the limit is steady warmth. For strawberries it is the moment the crown takes. Months and spacing are on the three sheets.
Frequently asked questions
Is a strawberry sown like a melon?
No. It is planted, in spring or in August or September, with the crown level with the soil. Melon is sown indoors from mid-April to mid-May, at 18-21 °C.
When does melon go outside?
In late May or June, for the RHS, once nights stay above 12-15 °C. In Sicily the open crop runs from April through June. In Campania the written transplant starts in mid-February.
In the north, is watermelon sown in the melon's month?
The RHS melon page grows it in a greenhouse or tunnel, with a cool-climate or compact variety, and does not print a separate sowing month. The 18-21 °C on that page are written for the melon. In Sicily the open crop runs from mid-March to mid-June.
Can I plant strawberries in winter?
Not into frozen or sodden soil. In midwinter, on wet cold ground, the sheet says to wait. August, September or spring, once the soil can be worked, are the dates it writes.
Other categories
See also: Planting calendar · Guides