This week marks the start of harvest season for Virginia watermelon growers. Among them is Mike Grizzard, who grows more than 40,000 pounds of watermelons on 40 acres in Southampton County. He started planting in May, putting in both seeded and seedless varieties. Grizzard planted more melons each week for a month to extend his season through summer’s end.
“Ideally, we can continue to harvest until late August and early September,” he said.
A dry growing season is ideal for watermelons, and Grizzard said some of his crop was affected by heavy rains in June and July.
Seeds that were planted early “have really received a significant amount of water from this rainy season,” he said.
Watermelons are excellent sources of vitamins A and C, as well as B6. When picking out a watermelon in the grocery store, look for three signs of a ripe fruit: a dull color, a firm surface and a yellow-colored field spot, where the melon rested on the soil.
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