Divisi
When to plant Watermelon in Saint Louis
Saint-Louis, Sénégal
Known here as pastèque · melon d'eau
Watermelon is a warm-season trailing vine, grown flat along the ground for its big, sweet, thirst-quenching fruit — a cousin of pumpkin, cucumber and melon.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 8 Jul 2027 – 28 Jul 2027 opens in 40 weeks | 18 Sep 2026 – 20 Jul 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 23.6–29.5 t/ha | about 50.0 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 26 Sep 2027 to 15 Nov 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 80–110 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 46–96 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 70% | |
Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.
If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 18 Jul 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Saint Louis leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 28 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Saint Louis
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For watermelon in Saint Louis, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 96%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.
The 2027 season in Saint Louis
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | July 2027 to October 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 296 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — September looks short of rain. Plant at the early end of the window, favour quicker and more drought-tolerant crops, and keep moisture in the soil: mulch, and weed early. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.5 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can. |
| What that supports | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 47% of this area. |
| 47% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 77 growing days · about 300 mm · July to October |
|---|---|
| 38% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 270 mm · July to October |
| 12% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 79 growing days · about 300 mm · July to October |
| 3% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 270 mm · July to October |
last updated 30 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 35% of yield here.
What watermelon needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.0 |
| Spacing | 240 cm between rows, 140 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium, boron and calcium |
What it takes to grow watermelon in Saint Louis
| Planting material | About 4,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 52 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 14 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 76 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established. |
| Hand work | 46–96 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a watermelon crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.
What to watch for
Grow Watermelon with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Saint Louis as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.
Where to sell Watermelon nearby
This calendar moves
Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.
Frequently asked questions
Will watermelon grow well in Saint Louis?
Saint Louis rates as favourable for watermelon.
When should I plant watermelon in Saint Louis?
Typically 8 Jul 2027 to 28 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Saint Louis, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
