By Clint Thompson
North Florida watermelon harvests are expected to take off this week amid prolonged sunshine in the forecast. In fact, some have already started.
“I saw some busses locally that were loaded with watermelons, so apparently somebody started over the weekend,” said Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida.
“We’re anticipating that the harvests will begin full swing over the next 7 to 10 days. When I say full swing, I mean there will be a lot of farms that will get started over the next 7 to 10 days. Some later planted fields are still a little further than that out; maybe two weeks. Nonetheless, by the end of this week and beginning of next week, I think we’ll see a lot of movement.”
It is optimal timing for North Florida’s watermelon season to begin. Georgia is a few weeks away from starting its harvest. Memorial Day is also a major holiday that producers eye every year to take advantage of the early plantings they’ve implemented in recent seasons.
“I think the way that the industry has progressed over the years that it’s really important for North Florida to get as far ahead of the Memorial Day push as possible. That means taking a much greater risk on the early planting dates,” Hochmuth said.
“I think when you look at it and figure that by, more or less May 15, we’re going to be getting a lot of watermelons on the road here. That bodes well for getting ahead of the demand for Memorial Day weekend.”