Melon · Kars, Kars Province, Turkey
When to plant melons in Kars
Main outdoor window
23 Apr - 7 May
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
21 May
In Kars, on your chosen risk.
First autumn frost
6 October
The far end of the outdoor season.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Kars
Download these planting dates (.ics)
Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.
Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.
Start indoors
23 Apr - 7 May
Four weeks before your last frost, under cover or on a windowsill.
Melons through the year
Against the frost risk in Kars
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Kars
May has the highest average precipitation (79 mm); February has the lowest (27 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.
Monthly growing conditions in Kars
Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | -13.3°C (8.1°F)8.1°F (-13.3°C) | -1.7°C (28.9°F)28.9°F (-1.7°C) | 31.0 |
| February | -11.9°C (10.6°F)10.6°F (-11.9°C) | 0.1°C (32.1°F)32.1°F (0.1°C) | 28.3 |
| March | -6.1°C (21°F)21°F (-6.1°C) | 5.1°C (41.2°F)41.2°F (5.1°C) | 30.3 |
| April | -1.5°C (29.3°F)29.3°F (-1.5°C) | 11.5°C (52.7°F)52.7°F (11.5°C) | 21.0 |
| May | 3.1°C (37.5°F)37.5°F (3.1°C) | 16.3°C (61.4°F)61.4°F (16.3°C) | 5.6 |
| June | 7.4°C (45.4°F)45.4°F (7.4°C) | 21.7°C (71.1°F)71.1°F (21.7°C) | 0.3 |
| July | 10.6°C (51°F)51°F (10.6°C) | 25.7°C (78.2°F)78.2°F (25.7°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 11°C (51.8°F)51.8°F (11°C) | 26.8°C (80.2°F)80.2°F (26.8°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 6.9°C (44.4°F)44.4°F (6.9°C) | 22°C (71.6°F)71.6°F (22°C) | 0.7 |
| October | 1.8°C (35.3°F)35.3°F (1.8°C) | 14.8°C (58.7°F)58.7°F (14.8°C) | 9.4 |
| November | -3.9°C (25°F)25°F (-3.9°C) | 7°C (44.7°F)44.7°F (7°C) | 27.0 |
| December | -9.5°C (14.8°F)14.8°F (-9.5°C) | 1.1°C (33.9°F)33.9°F (1.1°C) | 30.9 |
For melons, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.
Local growing check
Before choosing melons for Kars
- May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 79 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.
Before you plant melons
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 21°C (69.8°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Check the local overnight forecast before planting out. Delay planting or keep protection ready if frost is forecast, even after the historical last-frost date.
- Harden off plants raised indoors: gradually expose them to outdoor light, wind and temperature before their final move into the bed.
- Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.
Choose a melon that can ripen in your available warmth
Provide sun, warmth, fertile soil and consistent moisture with drainage. Decide whether vines will trail or climb before planting; hanging fruit may need support separate from the vine.
Check the supplier's ripeness indicators for the cultivar. Do not assume that every melon slips from its stem, changes colour or develops a strong scent in the same way.
What to record this season
Which cultivar-specific ripeness signs appeared before the season ended? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Cucumis melo · NC State Extension: Vegetable Gardening . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The reference describes crop identity and cultivation. North Carolina planting dates are not local dates for other regions.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Provide sun, warmth, fertile soil and consistent moisture with drainage. Decide whether vines will trail or climb before planting; hanging fruit may need support separate from the vine.
Protect tender growth from frost and wait for suitable growing warmth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: duration, wind, plant age and acclimatisation affect damage.
This calendar uses frost-relative offsets as a starting point. Melons are timed from 4 weeks before that frost for an indoor start, with planting out 3 weeks after it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Kars.
The median frost-free season here is 138 days, against 70 to 90 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.
Also in Kars
Other vegetables to time
Growing melons in Kars
Can I grow melons in Kars?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 79 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
Why is there no model planting window for melons in Kars?
The air-temperature model does not find the target soil warmth within the allowed planting period. This is not a measurement of your bed. Check soil temperature, the cultivar and local growing advice before choosing an outdoor date or a protected growing method.
How much frost will melons tolerate?
Protect tender growth from frost and wait for suitable growing warmth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: duration, wind, plant age and acclimatisation affect damage.