On the melon fields

On the first day of summer, the golden sunlight spreads over the cool green melon fields full of ripe, plump fruits. Standing in the middle of the melon fields, we can still smell the fresh aroma of the ripe melons in the wind. The melon season is in full swing, which is also the time when farmers are busiest, carrying the hope of a bumper crop.

Farmers in Nam Hung commune harvest watermelon.

The vast pink melon fields in Nam Hung commune have been more crowded than usual for about a week now. During the harvest season, from early morning, melon growers in the commune take advantage of the cool weather to go to the fields to harvest the fruit. While picking melons and chatting with us, Mr. Pham Ngoc Tuan, Co Gia village, Nam Hung commune said: "There are many melon growing areas in the province, but perhaps the most "suitable" for pink melons is still the land of Nam Hung commune. Suitable for the land and soil here, during the melon season, the melon fields of households in the commune are always full of fruit, the melon flavor is fragrant and sweet, satisfying the most gourmets."

People's joy when the watermelon crop is good.

After Tet, choosing a warm, rainy spring weather with moist soil, like other households in Co Gia village, Mr. Tuan started planting melons. He chose the Nong Huu melon variety originating from Dong Nai to plant in pots. When removing the pots, he mixed the powdered soil with composted manure and treated phosphate fertilizer in the ratio of "2 soil + 1 fertilizer", adding the mixed mixture to 4/5 of the height of the pot. After placing the seeds in the pots, he sprinkled another layer of powdered soil mixed with composted rice husks and watered it sufficiently. Taking advantage of the time when the plants in the pots grew, Mr. Tuan cleared the grass, prepared the soil and made beds. When the plants were tall enough and had leaves, he planted them in the field with an average density of 500-550 plants/sao.

People classify melons right in the garden.

Currently, all 3 sao of Mr. Tuan's melons are grown by letting cows crawl on the field. Based on each stage of the melon's growth, Mr. Tuan carries out different steps of pinching the tops, pruning, fertilizing, watering, pest control... In particular, during the fruiting process, to protect the fruit, Mr. Tuan also carefully finds ways to "hide" the melons in the leaves, avoiding direct sunlight, which causes the fruit to lose its natural color and appear many green veins on the fruit. In addition to blocking sunlight, hiding the fruit also helps the melons avoid insects that destroy and burn the fruit. Having grown melons for decades, according to Mr. Tuan, growing melons has never been easy: “Because growing melons depends a lot on the weather, whether or not there will be a good harvest is often… hard to say. Having grown many types of melons, I think pink melons are the most difficult to grow, requiring more techniques and care. In particular, if you do not know how to care for them properly, the melons will be small and will not have the desired delicious flavor.”

Traders come to buy watermelons right in the garden.

With careful care, following the right process, combined with favorable weather and little rain, the melon fields in Nam Hung this year did not disappoint the farmers. After about 50-60 days, the melons were harvested with high productivity. It is estimated that each sao of melon can yield over 1 ton. The average melon fields are estimated to yield about 7-8 quintals/sao. With the selling price ranging from 7-10 thousand VND/kg of melon, depending on the time, after deducting expenses, each sao of melon of the farmers in the commune will bring in a profit of 8-10 million VND, much higher than growing rice. In addition, when growing melons, farmers can also take advantage of the land area between the furrows to grow peanuts, corn, vegetables, etc. to increase economic efficiency.

Bustling buying and selling atmosphere at melon purchasing points.

“Racing” with the bright sunlight of early summer, in the melon fields, farmers in Nam Hung commune are also quickly transporting melons from the fields to the main roads. A number of melon collection and sale points have been established in the commune. Therefore, melon-growing households in Nam Hung almost do not have to sell at retail. As soon as melons are harvested, traders buy them immediately, without any unsold or unsold goods. “We farmers have worked hard in the fields for generations. Therefore, I just hope for favorable weather, a bountiful harvest, and stable prices to make up for the hard work. This year's melon season, I and other melon-growing households are relatively “satisfied” with the yield, quality, and price of melons,” Mr. Tuan said with a smile as he said goodbye to us.

Another melon season begins with new joys and hopes./.

Article and photos: Hoa Xuan - Van Huynh
Presented by: Truong Vinh
Publication date: 12-5-2023