Where are the latest watermelon production areas distributed across the country?

The watermelon can be called the “king of melons”. It originated in Africa, was introduced to Xinjiang during the Tang Dynasty, and was introduced to the Central Plains during the Five Dynasties period. It belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family of fruits, has multiple seeds, and is a common fruit for people. So do you know where watermelons are produced? Let's take a look at the watermelon production areas together with the editor below.

What are the watermelon production areas?

1. Hainan: Hainan has a subtropical climate, and its agricultural and sideline products rank first in the country! So watermelons can easily be found in Hainan. Because of the climate, watermelons are supplied even in winter, but at this time the price of watermelons is relatively high. The varieties produced include: Black Beauty, seedless melon, New Red Treasure, Early Spring Red Jade, Qilin melon, Te Xiao Feng, etc.

2. Guangxi: Guangxi is one of the major production areas of agricultural and sideline products in China. Guangxi watermelons generally come onto the market in April and finish in October! The varieties produced include: seedless melon (mostly produced in Beihai), Black Beauty (mostly produced in Nanning, Teng County, and other places), New Red Treasure and flower melon (mostly produced in Guilin).

3. Hubei: Hubei is located at the Three Gorges and is a major watermelon production base in China. The varieties produced include: Black Beauty, New Red Treasure, flower melon, Dongting No. 1, black-skinned melon, etc.

4. Hunan: Hunan watermelons generally come onto the market in early June. The varieties produced include Black Beauty, Dongting No. 1, New Red Treasure, etc.

5. Liaoning: Because of the climate, Liaoning watermelons come onto the market relatively late, but the melons are sweet and large, so they are deeply loved by everyone. The varieties produced are mainly flower melon, mostly produced in the Heishui area.

6. Inner Mongolia: Inner Mongolia watermelons come onto the market at about the same time as Liaoning watermelons, but in terms of varieties they are mainly black-skinned melon and flower melon.

How to choose a watermelon?

1. Observe the color and listen to the sound: For striped melons, the stripes should be clear, with distinct dark and light areas; for black-skinned melons, the skin color should be pitch-black and glossy. Regardless of the type of melon, the stem and navel areas should be sunken inward (this feature is not obvious in “Beauty melons”; as long as the tail is not especially pointed, it is fine). A vine stem that points downward and close to the melon skin, with a thick, green base near the stem, is a sign of ripeness. If it is dark brown, the fuzz has fallen off, it is curved and brittle, and the tip of the curled tendril has turned yellow and withered, it is a melon picked before it was ripe; if the melon stem has already dried up, it is a “dead vine melon” and of poor quality. Hold the watermelon in your hand and tap it gently with your finger. A crisp “dong, dong” sound, with the hand holding the melon feeling some vibration, means it is a ripe melon; a “tu, tu” sound reflects relatively high ripeness; a “pu, pu” sound means it is an overripe melon; if it feels like tapping stone and gives a “da, da” sound, it is an unripe melon. A ripe melon can transmit vibrations from above very well to the hand holding it; that is, the more obvious the vibration felt by the hand holding the melon, the riper the melon.

2. Look at the head and tail: If both ends are symmetrical and the navel and stem areas are relatively deeply sunken with full surroundings, it is a good melon; if the head is large and the tail is small, or the head is pointed and the tail is thick, it is a poorer-quality melon.

3. Compare elasticity: If the melon skin is relatively thin and easily broken when pressed with a finger, it is a ripe melon; if it splits when scratched with a fingernail and the melon is soft, it is an overripe melon.

4. Weigh by hand: If it feels hollow and buoyant, it is a ripe melon; if it feels heavy and sinking, it is an unripe melon.

5. Test specific gravity: If it floats upward when placed in water, it is a ripe melon; if it sinks, it is an unripe melon.

6. Look at size: Among the same variety, larger is better than smaller.

7. Observe shape: If the melon body is neat and symmetrical, it grew normally and is of good quality. If the melon body is deformed, it did not grow normally and is of poor quality.