Watermelon production in Texas is seeing renewed hope after record heat, high winds and drought plagued the crop in 2022. While Texas isn’t the largest producer of watermelons in the country, it still produces a fair 11% of all U.S.-grown watermelons. Even with sporadic weather impacting much of the state, one grower in southwest Texas says his watermelons “have never looked this good.” Watermelon harvest is ramping up now and will continue through the second or third week of August.

The Texas Rio Grande Valley are seeing satisfactory watermelon yields, although quality seems to be lower. After the weather disasters of last year, watermelon production in the valley dropped by 17%. Numbers seem to have rebounded this year with average-to-lower quality due to consistent rains throughout May. Melons generally prefer hot and dry weather, but mild temperatures and precipitation don’t seem to have harmed Texas’ production in 2023.

Read more on Texas watermelon production here.