The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

By using the USDA zone info for Jackson you will be able to estimate when to plant watermelon.

Planting Calendar for Watermelon

Frost tolerance for watermelon:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since watermelon do not do well in cold weather it is necessary to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant watermelon in Jackson is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant watermelon and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your watermelon may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your watermelon indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on February 15 in Jackson. You can expect an average low temperature of 20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Jackson is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Jackson last frost occurs after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your watermelon if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Jackson

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 25°F.

Plants to Grow in Jackson

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Jackson.