By Clint Thompson
Alabama’s watermelon crop is on pace for a normal, average year, according to one producer. Jeremy Sessions, who farms 50 acres in Grand Bay, Alabama, said he should be ready to harvest by June 10. This comes despite challenging weather conditions throughout the growing season.
“Everything looks pretty good. Early, we had some tough growing conditions. They were kind of cool with a lot of wind and it beat the plants up a little bit. This warm weather has got things growing pretty nice,” Sessions said.
Sessions’ current challenge is how to navigate the excessive rainfall being felt across the Southeast this week. It can lead to increased disease instances, especially if growers are unable to access the fields to apply fungicides.
“There’s a whole array of diseases that can be triggered all of that rainfall. We try to keep them sprayed and stay on a good schedule, but there’s only so much that you can combat it, to a point,” Sessions said. “You just don’t grow as good of a watermelon whenever it rains. The watermelons won’t be as sweet, depending on when it rains. You can grow a better crop in a hot, dry year if you’ve got irrigation.
“It can affect the quality. It can affect the sweetness.”
“We have everything under irrigation, so we just soon it be hot and dry.
Sessions started planting this year’s crop at the end of March and staggered plantings so the crop extends through July 4.
“I think we’re going to be in a normal, average year. I don’t think anything is going to be super early. I just think we’re progressing at a normal pace; average pace,” Sessions said.