By Clint Thompson
The July 4 holiday has come and gone, which means Georgia’s watermelon season is nearing its conclusion.
The summer holiday provides a key harvesting window for Georgia producers. This year was no different. Some of the crop is still being picked this week, says Tim Coolong, professor and Extension specialist in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
“It is starting to slow down, but I talked to a scout consultant (recently) and he had some growers who were still harvesting. They still have several fields or cuts, I guess would be the better answer left,” Coolong said. “So yes, in general, it’s kind of winding down, but we still have some production out there that’s being shipped.”
Scalding temperatures helped accelerate Georgia’s watermelon season. Watermelons struggle to hold up amid scorching heat with little vine protection.
“I would say that at first it’s certainly a cosmetic issue. Eventually, if it gets sunburned enough, and you’ve seen fruit that looks this way, it’ll probably affect flavor. But it would be a cosmetic issue far before it became a flavor issue,” Coolong said.
Coolong highlighted what he’s heard from Extension agents about this year’s crop.
“I’ve heard a variety of things. Some of the agents said people have done very well, and then others had growers that didn’t do very well,” Coolong said. “I guess, like every year, it’s pretty hit and miss. We did have some untimely rains back in the late spring. And so, but as in South Georgia, they can be very spotty. You can have eight inches in one county and 30 miles away, you get two inches.
“I think that probably speaks to a lot of that variability we’re having.”