One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A common way of getting a good idea when it's the best time to plant melons is to refer to the USDA zone info for Cleveland.

Planting Calendar for Melons

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

You should not plant melons until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant melons in Cleveland 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 melons and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your melons may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your melons indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Cleveland. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Cleveland may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Cleveland you get a frost after March 15 be ready to cover your melons in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Cleveland

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Cleveland

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