Watermelon Archives - Specialty Crop Industry https://specialtycropindustry.com/category/watermelon/ Vegetable and Specialty Crop News Thu, 10 Aug 2023 23:28:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.1 116110416 Increase in North Florida Watermelon Acres Next Year? Not So Fast https://specialtycropindustry.com/increase-in-north-florida-watermelon-acres-next-year-not-so-fast/ Fri, 11 Aug 2023 11:00:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=22721 By Clint Thompson A productive and prosperous watermelon season in North Florida last spring does not guarantee increased acres next year. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, explains why one of the most successful seasons in recent memory will not necessarily lead to more watermelon acres ...

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]]> 22721 Charlotte Regional Farmers Market to Host Watermelon Day on Aug. 11 https://specialtycropindustry.com/charlotte-regional-farmers-market-to-host-watermelon-day-on-aug-11/ Wed, 09 Aug 2023 09:30:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=22696 CHARLOTTE – You know summer has fully arrived when fresh North Carolina (N.C.) watermelons are on the market. To celebrate these seasonal favorites, the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market will host Watermelon Day Friday, Aug. 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors will be treated to free watermelon samples, giveaways and recipes. They can also enjoy scavenger hunts, take their ...

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]]> 22696 Watermelon’s Value in South Carolina https://specialtycropindustry.com/watermelons-value-in-south-carolina/ Fri, 21 Jul 2023 11:00:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=22566 South Carolina’s watermelon crop flexed its vegetable muscle during the 2022 harvest season. In a survey generated by Clemson Extension agents, specialty crop producers responded with acreage and subsequent value for that year’s cropping season. According to the South Carolina Grower, the goal was to identify which counties that the watermelons were produced, how much was grown and market prices ...

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]]> 22566 Robert G. Shaw Piedmont Triad Farmers Market to host Watermelon Day June 21 https://specialtycropindustry.com/robert-g-shaw-piedmont-triad-farmers-market-to-host-watermelon-day-june-21/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 09:30:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=22550 You know summer has fully arrived when fresh North Carolina (N.C.) watermelons are on the market. To celebrate these seasonal favorites, the Robert G. Shaw Piedmont Triad Farmers Market will host Watermelon Day on Friday, July 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors will be treated to free watermelon samples, giveaways and recipes, plus they can enjoy scavenger hunts, ...

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]]> 22550 Bumper Crop: Florida Watermelon Growers Still Lead Nation in Production https://specialtycropindustry.com/bumper-crop-florida-watermelon-growers-still-lead-nation-in-production/ Fri, 14 Jul 2023 11:00:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=22499 While many enjoy sweet, cool watermelon as a treat or snack this summer, remember where it comes from. Some Florida growers claim they had their best season ever. Florida continues to lead the nation in watermelon production. From 2010 to 2021, Florida growers ranked No. 1 in the United States with an average of 22,616 acres of watermelon harvested per ...

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]]> 22499 Perfect Storm: Weather Events Impacted Georgia’s Watermelon Season https://specialtycropindustry.com/perfect-storm-weather-events-impacted-georgias-watermelon-season/ Thu, 13 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=22494 By Clint Thompson Intense heat in recent weeks quickly led to the conclusion of this year’s watermelon harvests in most of South Georgia fields. The two-week deluge of rainfall in June also contributed to the crop’s shortened harvest window this year. “The extreme weather events really beat the vines up and it also introduced disease. That coupled with, once they ...

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]]> 22494 Watermelon Research: UGA Scientist Highlights Work Done on Tifton Campus https://specialtycropindustry.com/watermelon-research-uga-scientist-highlights-work-done-on-tifton-campus/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 10:45:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=22472 By Clint Thompson Watermelons are one of the most valuable vegetable crops that South Georgia growers produce every year. It is only appropriate that the University of Georgia (UGA) conducts research that will benefit farmers for the foreseeable future. Ted McAvoy, UGA Extension vegetable specialist, is tasked with researching watermelons and the different types that producers want to grow, on ...

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]]> 22472 Winding Down: Heat Impacting Georgia’s Final Melon Harvests https://specialtycropindustry.com/winding-down-heat-impacting-georgias-final-melon-harvests/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 14:45:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=22459 By Clint Thompson The intense summer heat is taking a toll on South Georgia watermelons; so much so that the crop appears to be in its final days of harvest this year, believes Greg Leger, owner of Leger & Son, Inc. “There’s a couple of late fields around that we’ve just been into one time and starting a second time, ...

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]]> 22459 Blueprint for Success? North Florida Melon Growers Capitalize on Early Planting Window https://specialtycropindustry.com/blueprint-for-success-north-florida-melon-growers-capitalize-on-early-planting-window/ Thu, 22 Jun 2023 10:45:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=22342 By Clint Thompson North Florida’s blueprint for success with regards to watermelon production may have been laid out this year. Growers started earlier, overcame a pair of freeze events and capitalized on the early market. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, believes that will be the ...

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]]> 22342 After Harvest Season: Crop Termination in Watermelon Could Help with Fusarium Wilt https://specialtycropindustry.com/after-harvest-season-crop-termination-in-watermelon-could-help-with-fusarium-wilt/ Wed, 21 Jun 2023 11:00:00 +0000 https://specialtycropindustry.com/?p=22327 By Clint Thompson What is the value of North Florida watermelon growers terminating their crop chemically when harvesting is done for the season? It could prevent further buildup of a specific pathogen, nematodes or even whitefly-vectored viruses. Producers in the Suwanee Valley Region should consider the practice, believes Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) ...

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