Cold snap could chill watermelon season

Last week’s cold snap may be a setback for the state’s watermelon season. Clemson University plant disease specialist Tony Keinath says a repeat performance of last year’s spring could create problems. Because of the late start to the growing season, the first South Carolina watermelons likely will be harvested in mid-June. In some years part of the crop has been ready in early June. A delay can be a headache for growers, but if the weather spawns more disease problems, that can dent the $30 million-plus crop. Diseases mean losses and higher costs to control them. How to select a sweet, ready to eat melon? Keinath offers these tips: “Look for fruit with a slightly wavy or uneven surface and, most important, the belly of the fruit should be a creamy yellow cover,” he said. To pick a fruit that is sweet, the fruit should be heavier than other fruit that are the same size. To pick a ripe melon from the plant, the tendril closest to the stem of the fruit should be dried or dead.”