Watermelon is a warm-season crop related to cantaloupe, squash, cucumber and pumpkin. Watermelons can be grown on any well-drained soil throughout Georgia but are particularly well adapted to the Coastal Plain soils of South Georgia. Yields of 20,000 to 40,000 pounds per acre are common. More than 35,000 acres of watermelon are produced in Georgia, with more than 25

percent of this produced on plastic mulch.

Watermelons will continue to be an important part of vegetable production in the state. Increases in average yield per acre will continue as more growers adopt plastic mulch, intensive management and new hybrid varieties.