The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Detroit Lakes you can determine when it's a good idea to plant watermelon by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Watermelon

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

Watermelon do not do well in cold weather which means that you need to wait until it warms up after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant watermelon in Detroit Lakes is May. However, you really should wait until June 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. If you wait 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 couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Detroit Lakes the average date of last frost happens on May 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -35°F.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Detroit Lakes and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Detroit Lakes there is a last frost after May 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your watermelon in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Detroit Lakes

Here is the info for USDA Zone 3b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-35°F
Highest Expected Low	-30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -35°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -30°F.

Plants to Grow in Detroit Lakes

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Detroit Lakes.