Hapco Farms is set to begin watermelon harvest in Florida by the end of April. Though weather conditions pushed back the harvest date, the company expects to have a good season.

“We have met with our farmers across the state of Florida and all of the plants are in the ground,” Raquel Mello, watermelon specialist for Hapco Farms, said April 9. “In the next two weeks we will start our full production of watermelon in central Florida and continue through Memorial Day with no foreseeable issues.”

Mello said that while weather conditions did cause a late start to the early crop, this is typical for the Florida season.

“We will continue to harvest a number of varieties, but we have expanded on some of our favorites like the Joy Ride and 7197,” she said. “Before harvesting, we send the cutters into the field and roll the melon over for some extra sun time. The next day we harvest. We pick and ship next day.”