Evaluating High Tunnel and Open-field Specialty Melons for Farm-to-School Markets in West Virginia

Cantaloupes (Cucumis melo var. reticulatis) are infected by many foliar diseases which are triggered or exacerbated by rainfall and high relative humidity. In addition, preharvest fruit cracking can significantly reduce marketable yields of some specialty melon cultivars. One potential option for growing cantaloupes and other specialty melons in West Virginia is high tunnel production. High tunnels significantly increase the air and soil temperature. In addition, the crop can be drip irrigated so there is no wet foliage for disease infection while melon quality is improved. Very few high tunnel growers in West Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region grow specialty melons. The development of Farm-to-School markets can potentially increase the demand for late-season fruiting vegetables. The objective of this project was to evaluate 16 personal-size (≈ 2 lbs.) specialty melons in high tunnel and open-field production systems in 2015. Melons were evaluated for disease tolerance, marketable yield and postharvest quality. An enterprise budget was developed for high tunnel specialty melon production. Cultivars such as ‘Sugar Cube’ and ‘Lil Loupe’ had high marketable yields across production systems and growing regions. The evaluation will continue in 2016 with an expanded evaluation of personal-size watermelons (Citrullus lanatus (Thumb.)).