The Georgia watermelon season has got off to slow start, having been delayed due to cool spring weather. Volume is expected to be down on previous years and despite the late start, growers say the season will finish on time.
"We have just started the watermelon harvest, after having been delayed by ten days," said Ricky Tawzer of Sweet Dixie Melon Company in Georgia. "The cool spring weather impacted on pollination and it looks as though volume will be down considerably. We predict we will be off by about 15,000lb this season and despite the late start, the season is expected to finish up when it typically does at the end of July."
Pollination problems
The cool spring meant that pollination was unable to occur as normal. This was a blow to farmers in Georgia, a state where Colony Collapse Disorder caused the wild bee population to dramatically plunge just over ten years ago. While many growers have turned to 'hiring' bees to help with the pollination efforts, the cold weather meant that even these largely stayed inside this season.
"In addition to the cool weather, there was a lot of rain towards the end of May," Tawzer said. "This affected low lying areas and was also the cause of the pollination problems we experienced. The weather was not favorable and the bees stayed in their hives. As a result, the crop didn't set well and yields are going to be off. The poor pollination was also one of the reasons the season started later."
Market strong
As summer progresses, demand for watermelon is picking up. With supplies set to be tighter this season, market prices are climbing. Suppliers are selling out of fruit quickly and are hoping that the higher prices will make up for some of the effects from the decrease in volume.
"The market is really good right now," Tawzer noted. "Demand is excellent and we continue to sell out quickly. Prices are high and we are hopeful that this will offset the lower yield this season. Watermelons are great to eat and they are in high demand during summer. We carry both the seeded and seedless watermelon, with the seedless making up the vast majority of the volume. Some of the local growers also offer the mini watermelon."
For more information:
Ricky Tawzer
Sweet Dixie Melon Company
Tel: +1 (229) 387-7577