Title: Hermiston watermelon season is here | Local News | hermistonherald.com
Headings: Hermiston watermelon season is here
Hermiston watermelon season is here
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Content: Some shipments have even gone as far as Texas and Georgia. The secret lies in the region’s sandy soil and desert climate, which provides a perfect combination of hot, dry days and cool nights. Watermelons absorb heat during the day, which the plants metabolize into sugar for energy. Once they cool off at night, the respiration process slows down and all that sugar gets stored in the fruit, hence their exceptionally sweet flavor. Walchli said this year has been a mostly typical growing season, compared to last year when planting got off to a slow start. “Last season, we had a colder start and this year we had a more favorable May and end of April,” he said. “ It’s hard to predict. Melons are very reactive to the weather, more so than some of the other crops.” Scott Lukas, assistant professor of horticulture for Oregon State University, recently started a new research program at OSU’s Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center with a partial focus on watermelons. He said growers have reported few issues with disease pressure, and for the most part the vines have been growing well.