States with warmer climates lead the way in watermelon production

Watermelons are grown all across the United States, but require up to a 3-month-long growing season with consistently warm temperatures of 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit. Consequently, most commercial production is limited to the South and Southwest. From 2000-09, the U.S. saw overall yields increase an average of 42 percent and acreage decrease an average of 27 percent from the 1990s. Most of the top producing States, such as California and Texas, have followed the national trend of rising yields and declining acreage over the past decade. On the other hand, Florida recently saw a declining trend in yields coupled with a slight increase in number of acres harvested between 2006 and 2010. The data for this chart come from the Fruit and Tree Nut Outlook, FTS-352, June 2012.

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