One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first opportunity to plant watermelon in Blakely can be figured out by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Watermelon

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

Since watermelon are not cold tolerant it is necessary to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

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

The last month that you can plant watermelon and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your watermelon may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your watermelon indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on March 15 in Blakely. It might get as low as 15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that USDA zone info for Blakely may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Blakely there is a last frost after March 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your watermelon if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Blakely

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Blakely

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