By Clint Thompson
Georgia’s delayed start to the watermelon season means an expected gap could hit the market this week in the Southeast.
Greg Leger, owner of Leger & Son, Inc, in Cordele, Georgia, said he will not begin harvesting until next week, which is in line with the scenario most growers are facing.
“I’m looking at the (June) 12th through the 15th. But I know that there’s some guys that started and cutting some stuff (last week) that are a bit earlier,” Leger said. “We usually start around the 10th with our stuff. There’s always some people that start earlier. Sometimes that’s good, and sometimes that’s bad. North Florida started earlier by 10 days. Looks like we’re going to start at least a week to 10 days late. There’s going to be a little bit of a gap for us.
“There’s just not going to be a lot of volume until the 20th I would say. The next 10 days will be a gap for volume. But they always seem to come out of the woods in Georgia. It might be late, but they’ll be coming.”
Cooler temperatures the past couple of weeks contributed to a delay of growth for Georgia watermelons this spring.
“It was in the 50s (last week), 80 for a high, 78. That’s nice for golf and fishing, but that just isn’t watermelon weather,” Leger said. “It’s warming up now, so I think we’re going to be able to get started and shoot for Monday, the 12th.”
Lack of supply should also boost watermelon sales when Georgia growers finally begin harvesting.
“We’re feeling like the market is stable right where it is right now. I think it’s going to be to the chain stores a good, solid 26 cents (per pound) or better,” Leger said.