One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. 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 Rathdrum you will be able to determine when to plant watermelon.

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's important to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant watermelon in Rathdrum 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. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else 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

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Rathdrum. You should expect an average low temperature of -5°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Rathdrum is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Rathdrum last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to protect your watermelon if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Rathdrum

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-5°F
Highest Expected Low	0°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Rathdrum

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