by Julie McConnell | Jun 6, 2025
June 20-21, 2025 marks the 69th year of celebrating the Panhandle Watermelon Festival in Chipley, Florida where you can enjoy free family friendly entertainment and compete in the Big Melon Contest for cash prizes. Whether you are a home gardener or a commercial...
by external | May 30, 2025
Megan Winslow, Public Relations Specialist, UF/IFAS Communications May is peak watermelon season in North Florida, and farmers are busy tending to their crops as they anticipate harvesting around Memorial Day. Rather than painstakingly twisting water valves,...
by Nicholas Dufault | Apr 11, 2025
Dr. Nicholas Dufault and Rezel Borines, UF/IFAS Plant Pathology Department With potato and watermelon seasons underway in North Florida, growers are keeping a close eye on disease risk. One way to get ahead of potential problems is with the Spore Report—a new...
by Nicholas Dufault | Apr 19, 2024
The 2024 watermelon growing season is underway. This year, an uptick in cases of Fusarium wilt in watermelons has caught many by surprise. While there is little that can be done now to manage the disease, it is still important to understand and monitor the prevalence...
by Mark Mauldin | Mar 8, 2024
Watermelon planting season is just around the corner. Calling all watermelon producers, commercial growers to gardeners to prepare for the Big Melon Contest at the Panhandle Watermelon Festival. The festival and the contest have been summer-time staples in the...
