Melon seedlings go into Montana soil once the last spring frost clears, which at the state’s reference station in Billings lands somewhere between April…

Montana’s frost-free window runs on the short side, and its summer heat arrives in bursts rather than a steady bake.

Missouri gardeners can direct-seed or transplant melons once the last spring frost has passed and soil has warmed into the high 60s, which usually lands…

Watermelon types, especially icebox and standard slicing varieties, are the safest bet for Missouri gardens, given a long frost-free window and heavy…

Plant melons in Mississippi after the soil has warmed past 70°F, which typically lines up with late March through April depending on where you garden in…

Mississippi’s long, hot season favors heat-loving melons over anything bred for a short northern summer: full-size watermelon and cantaloupe (muskmelon)…

In most of Minnesota, melon transplants go into the ground roughly two to three weeks after the last spring frost, once soil has actually warmed, not the…

Minnesota gardeners get the best results with short-season muskmelon and cantaloupe types bred to ripen fast in cool-summer climates.

Melons go into Michigan ground after the soil has warmed past 65°F, which usually lands in late May to early June across the Lower Peninsula.

Michigan’s growing season runs long enough for fast melons, not long enough for slow ones.