Watermelon
Peak season in the Midwest · down 17% this week
This fruit is at its local-harvest peak from June through September, and is generally in stores from May through October. This week it's peak season in the Midwest — buying it in season usually means better quality and, as the regional prices below show, a lower price.
Per a typical 150g serving, scaled from the per-100g figures in USDA FoodData Central (Watermelon, raw).
- 1 NorthwestCheapest $2.37/ea
- 2 Southwest $3.99/ea
- 3 Midwest $4.36/ea
- 4 Southcentral $4.47/ea
- 5 Southeast $4.55/ea
- 6 Northeast $5.24/ea
Buying watermelon in the Northwest saves about 55% versus the Northeast this week.
- How to pick a good one
- Look for a large, creamy-yellow field spot where it sat on the ground — white or pale green means it was picked early. It should feel heavy for its size and sound hollow when tapped. Dull rather than shiny skin is a good sign.
- What a good price looks like
- Whole melons are $4 to $8 each in peak summer, which works out to around 30 cents a pound — among the cheapest fruit in the shop by weight. Under $5 for a full-sized melon is a good price. Precut halves and quarters run two to three times the per-pound price of the whole fruit.
- What you actually get
- A whole watermelon is 15 to 20 lb and gives roughly 60% edible flesh — a 16 lb melon yields around 10 lb of fruit, or 30 cups cubed. That serves a party. A quarter melon is the practical unit for most households, and the rind is edible and traditionally pickled.
- How to store it
- Whole watermelon keeps a week or more at room temperature and slightly longer refrigerated. Once cut, wrap and refrigerate and use within three or four days.
- In the kitchen
- The field spot — the pale patch where it sat on the ground — should be creamy yellow rather than white or green; that is the single most reliable ripeness sign, better than any amount of thumping. To cut one down efficiently, top and tail it, stand it on a flat end, and cut the rind away in strips before slicing the flesh into planks and then batons.
- Getting the most out of it
- Cut watermelon is mostly water, so it dilutes anything you mix it into unless you salt it first. The white rind is edible and pickles well. Cubed and frozen it blends into a slush that needs nothing added, which makes a cheap melon go a long way.
- Arugula & Watermelon SaladRecipe by Cookie + Kate~$0.73 / serving 2 in-season
- Watermelon SaladRecipe by Cookie + Kate~$0.75 / serving 2 in-season
- Strawberry Arugula Salad with Watermelon and FetaRecipe by Foodie Crush~$1.52 / serving 3 in-season
- Watermelon Salad with Feta & MintRecipe by Love & Lemons~$1.63 / serving 7 in-season
- Avocado, Watermelon, & Cucumber SaladRecipe by Ambitious Kitchen~$2.17 / serving 4 in-season
- Grilled WatermelonRecipe by Love & Lemons~$2.34 / serving 7 in-season
See all 73 recipes with watermelon →Filter by diet, time, budget, and macros.
Price from the USDA National Retail Report. Nutrition per typical serving, computed from USDA FoodData Central.
Watermelon — FAQ
When can you buy watermelon in season?
This fruit is at its local-harvest peak from June through September, and is generally in stores from May through October. This week the Midwest has watermelon marked peak season.
What's the price of watermelon right now?
As of the week of September 4, 2026, the price of watermelon in the Midwest is $4.36/ea, down 17% from last week. It's cheapest in the Northwest at $2.37/ea.
How many calories and how much protein are in watermelon?
A typical 150g serving of watermelon has about 45 calories, 0.9g protein, 11.4g carbohydrates, 0.3g fat, and 0.6g fiber, per USDA FoodData Central.
What can I make with watermelon?
SeasonSort indexes 73 recipes that use watermelon, each with its cost per serving computed from this week's prices — starting from about $0.14 a serving. The cheapest are listed on this page, with a link to the full filtered list.