Q: Why are watermelons so expensive? They're $7 and $8 in some stores. When is watermelon season? — Rick Brewer, Smyrna
A: Even at $7 and $8 each, the price for watermelons is "still pretty danged low" considering the price per pound, Chip Carter, who covers Texas and the Southeast for The Produce News, told Q&A on the News in an email. He said the price of watermelons is experiencing a spike because there is a "crimp in supply due to weather issues." Any watermelon in stores during the winter likely comes from Mexico, Central America or the Dominican Republic. Florida's watermelon season begins in the spring, but there was a freeze in late March that damaged that crop, which has contributed to higher prices. Georgia's watermelon season begins at the first of June, but farmers have been dealing with heavy rains, which hampers the harvest. "You can't drag big ol' watermelons out of a field in the mud, so the Georgia-grown product is just now starting to show up in supermarkets, a couple of weeks behind the ideal window," Carter wrote in June. Georgia's watermelon season usually ends around August. Watermelon season in the Carolinas starts about two or three weeks after Georgia, and it gradually moves north in states such as Arkansas, Maryland, Delaware, and even Michigan, Carter wrote. He expects prices to drop once watermelons from the Carolinas reach the market early this month. Florida, Georgia, California and Texas combine for about 65 percent of U.S. watermelon production.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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