When to plant Watermelon and cantaloupe in Kentucky
In spring, from Apr 10 – May 15 in Hopkinsville to May 15 – June 15 in Shelbyville.
For a fall crop, from June 1 – 15 in Shelbyville to July 15 – 30 in Shively.
Cantaloupe (muskmelon) dates are the same as watermelon except where the table notes them.
USDA's earliest safe spring and latest safe fall planting dates, matched to each place's average frost dates.
| Place | Spring | Fall |
|---|---|---|
| Alexandria | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Ashland | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Bardstown | Apr 20 – June 1 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Berea | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Bowling Green | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Campbellsville | Apr 20 – June 1 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Covington | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Danville | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Elizabethtown | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Erlanger | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Florence | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Fort Thomas | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Frankfort | Apr 20 – June 1 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Franklin | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Georgetown | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Glasgow | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Henderson | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Hopkinsville | Apr 10 – May 15 | July 1 – 15 |
| Independence | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Jeffersontown | Apr 10 – May 15 | July 1 – 15 |
| La Grange | Apr 20 – June 1 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Lawrenceburg | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Lexington | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Louisville | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Lyndon | Apr 10 – May 15 | July 1 – 15 |
| Madisonville | Apr 10 – May 15 | July 1 – 15 |
| Mount Washington | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Murray | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Newport | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Nicholasville | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Owensboro | Apr 10 – May 15 | July 1 – 15 |
| Paducah | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Paris | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Radcliff | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Richmond | Apr 20 – June 1 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Shelbyville | May 15 – June 15 | June 1 – 15 |
| Shepherdsville | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
| Shively | Apr 10 – May 15 | July 15 – 30 |
| Somerset | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| St. Matthews | Apr 10 – May 15 | July 1 – 15 |
| Versailles | Apr 20 – June 1 | July 1 – 15 |
| Winchester | May 1 – June 15 | June 15 – July 20 |
Planting dates: USDA Home and Garden Bulletin No. 9 (1967), tables 4 and 5. Frost dates: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020. The full USDA table for watermelon.
Updated