If a person has a
watermelon patch, you can bet they need a place to sell their melons. And since Hudson was dying to make a ticket booth, we compromised and made this stand.
Mitchell oversaw the painting, while I was in charge of the measuring and cutting. It came together quite well using mostly what we had around. It should be versatile enough to use for lemonade stands, fruit stands, and whatever else the kids try to peddle.
Once we had a storefront, we needed labels.
Nik came up with these beauties and I had them printed. Despite the controversial beginning (read: husband thought they were unnecessary,) people have loved them and I've enjoyed branding our melons with them.
But before our watermelons reach the stand, I'd better take you out back to where the magic happens. We are always getting asked, "how did you raise such nice melons. . . here?" There are four key ingredients: sand, black plastic, compost, and drip irrigation.
Dalanie has become quite an expert at determining when the watermelons are ready to pick. Some people tap & thump, some people look at the curly-ques, but her method: rolling the melons over to look for a "yellow belly."
After harvesting them, they have to be taken to the wagon and hauled around out front. Hudson has gotten so tough. (After moving watermelons, he had no problem bringing a 25# sack of flour upstairs for me.)
They are sold by weight, so the kids enjoy reading the scale. Rumor has it that Hudson sold a 40 pound watermelon. 20# and under are $5, 25# are $6, 30# are $7, 35# are $8, and 40# and over are $9
On occasion, a watermelon will get dropped so we slice it up and give out samples.
Good thing a hydrant is nearby because these kids cannot eat watermelon without juice dripping off their elbows.
We've had many a repeat customers who claim they are the best watermelons they've ever had. So here's to many more years in the watermelon business.
As a side note, I've taken watermelons into both Hudson and Dalanie's classrooms. We have made paper plate watermelons and counted the seeds, weighed & measured them, and even done watermelon worksheets before slicing one open to share with the kids. It's hard to know who has enjoyed it more, me or the kids. They get a kick out of the way I transport the melons into the school.
