Watermelon · Indiana & Illinois

How we grow watermelon.

Seven thousand acres of sandy Wabash River soil along US Highway 41, from a tray of seedlings to the bins on your grocer's floor.

7,000+ acres of watermelon on member farms

70% of production in and around Knox County, Indiana

4–5 wks in the greenhouse before transplanting

80–90 days from transplant to a ripe melon

Where it grows

A 50-mile corridor of glacier-built sand.

Most of our production sits within 15 miles east and west of a 50-mile stretch of US Highway 41. Stand in one farm's field and you can throw a rock into the neighbor's. Not that we would.

The sandy soil our watermelon are raised on was deposited by the great glaciers of the Ice Age and is enriched with trace elements not found in the beach-type sands of our southern neighbors. Every time the Wabash River overflows it adds more. That soil is a big part of why travelers stop at our roadside stands and say they can taste the difference.

Most member farms sit within 15 miles of US 41 between Terre Haute and Evansville.

Step 1 · Late winter
Seeding

Hands and seed tray, close up', 'text' => 'Production begins with the planting of the seed in a tray of cells filled with a highly fertile peat moss medium.
Step 2 · 4-5 weeks
Greenhouse

The trays move into our greenhouses, where seedlings are nurtured until they are strong enough to withstand the rigors of Mother Nature.
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Step 3 · Previous fall
Cover crop

Fields are prepared long before with a planting of rye. It adds organic matter, holds moisture, and feeds the growing watermelon plant.
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Step 4 · Early spring
Beds

Planting beds are shaped, leaving strips of rye standing to protect against strong spring winds that could damage unprotected young plants.
Step 5 · When frost risk passes
Transplant

When Mother Nature promises reasonably safe temperatures, seedlings move from greenhouse to field, most into a bed covered with protective plastic mulch.
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Step 6 · Growing season
Cultivation

Plants are monitored closely for pests and disease. Fungicide is applied only if needed, and fertilizer is added at critical points in the plant's growth.
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Step 7 · Day 80–90
Ripening

After all the tender loving care our growers put in, the plump, juicy watermelon begin showing signs of maturity and harvest is ready to begin.
Step 8 · July – September
Harvest

Crews enter the field, led by watermelon specialists called cutters. Only the ripest melons are cut, loaded onto wagons and brought to the packing sheds.
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Step 9 · Packing shed
Packing

At the shed each melon is inspected and packed into bins by hand, ready for the trip to our customers.
Step 10 · Shipping
To your table

Bins are loaded onto trucks for our customers' warehouses, then make their way into retail stores and finally to your table.