Melons lure buyers

VALLONIA - When Keith Nicholson is driving on Indiana 135 from Salem to Brownstown, he can't help but stop at Tiemeyer's Farm Market and Greenhouses in Vallonia to snatch up a watermelon or two.

"There's not any others like 'em," he said Thursday after purchasing a couple. "They're sweeter and they've got a good taste. I've never got a bad one, so that's a bonus."

Tim Tiemeyer, who has been a produce farmer at Tiemeyer's since 1978, said this year's watermelon crop has been "excellent."

At VanAntwerp's Market on U.S. 31 north of Reddington, David Sturgill, the son of owners Carl and Donna VanAntwerp, has seen similar results.
"The cantaloupes are sweet and the watermelons are great," Sturgill said.

That's good news for customers, near and far, who crave Jackson County melons.

While Sturgill said his yield has been average and Tiemeyer said his has been at average or a little above average, there have been some obstacles along the way.

"This year hasn't been nearly as good for me because of the cold, wet spring," said Sturgill, who farms 30 acres of produce, with nine acres being watermelons and cantaloupes. "We had so much cold, and the amount of rain we had was too much."

Getting melon and cantaloupe crops started was difficult this spring, Tiemeyer said.

"But once we got going with the watermelon and cantaloupe crop, it's been great," Tiemeyer said. He manages 300 acres of produce, including 125 acres of watermelon and cantaloupe.

Another factor for Sturgill was the lack of bees pollinating his blooms.

"(Watermelons) need warmth and pollination," he said. "We normally have upper 60-degree nights."

But with temperatures dipping into the 50s on some nights, Sturgill said, dew settles on the produce and causes disease, which prompts another battle. He's currently on his second planting.

"I've had average yield in the second planting," he said. "The first one was below average. You should have four to five melons on a plant. Some only had one."

To get rid of disease, Sturgill has had to use a spray chemical treatment. He said the cost of that has doubled, and the cost of some other things has tripled.

"Last year was a dry year," he said, "and you probably could have gotten by without spraying. But this year, I had to do that."

Tiemeyer follows a spraying program.

"If you have a good spraying program, that's the whole key to produce," he said.

Tiemeyer said input costs, which are what it takes to put out a crop, are running three times what they have been. Farmers are paying more to balance finances, and in some instances, the price of produce increases.

"We've got to get more out of our crop to get something out of our business," he said.

But neither Tiemeyer nor Sturgill have seen an effect on business.

"Everybody says the economy is slow and stuff, but I haven't noticed it," Tiemeyer said. "Sales are up at our store. Everything looks good. Demand for our crops is good."

Variety is what Sturgill said attracts repeat customers, thus boosting sales.

"You need top-of-the-line stuff," he said. "You need to raise a lot to get the quality."

Since Jackson County melons are grown in sandy soil, that makes the water drain away from the plants, resulting in a sweeter taste.

"On heavier soil, you would have a hard time raising watermelons and cantaloupes," Tiemeyer said. "It works better on well-drained soil."

The time also has to be right to pick the melons.

"It has a dead curl and a yellow belly," Sturgill said. "Those are very good indicators. It's not 100 percent, but it's at least 90 percent accurate."

The dead curl is something only the farmer sees, Sturgill said, because it's cut off when it's picked. But there's always the well-known technique of thumping a melon to determine its ripeness.

"You can thump a seeded melon and tell if it's over or under ripe," he said, but with a seedless, "you can only tell by thumping if it's overripe. It has a ring to it."

From gardeners to farmers, Sturgill said this year "has been tough on everybody. You can look at everybody who has gardens in their backyards and it's evident. Plants need growing days and plants need warm nights. This has not been a typical spring at all. Everything has been late this year."

Despite the downfalls, the crop has turned out to be a nice one for both farmers.

"I've had a decent year. I cannot complain," Sturgill said of his crop yield. "I've been lucky."

Besides selling at the stand, Sturgill takes produce to farmers markets in Carmel, Bloomington and Indianapolis. A positive from the stand and the markets is that "sales have been really good. If you have stuff to take (to farmers markets) you're going to do really well."

Sturgill said if the crop runs later, that's a plus for sales. Last year, he was still selling melons in November.

Tiemeyer said once the weather warmed up, his crop began looking good.

"At the beginning of the year, I was really, really worried with getting the crop started," Tiemeyer said. "It started to ease up, and it looks likes it's going to be a really good year."

Sturgill and Tiemeyer have learned to take farming in stride.

"The largest gamble somebody could take is farming," Sturgill said. "You have to have a love for it and your heart has to be in it. I enjoy it and I love my job. It's a peace of mind for me. I love the feeling and I love the whole farm aspect."

The same goes for Tiemeyer.

"In this business there is a lot of work in it," he said. "It has to be something you really enjoy and you work hard at. It's hard to come in and start doing what (farmers) do. There's a lot more than going out there plowing the ground and planting seeds."

Through it all, Tiemeyer said it helps to have at least two people on your side.

"You kind of hope Mother Nature takes care of you," he said, "and the good Lord is watching over you."