More than a month into harvest season, this year’s Hermiston watermelon crop in Eastern Oregon is showing promising yields, even if sales have been slower than last year up until this point.

“Our crop is one of the best that we’ve ever had,” said Jack Bellinger, owner of Bellinger Farms in Hermiston. “We’re having a little trouble with movement in the field.”

Bellinger Farms has sold watermelons since 1941. Bellinger, a third-generation farmer, has owned and operated the farm for 25 years.

Hermiston watermelons have been a valued commodity for many Pacific Northwest consumers for decades. The melons are referenced in Hermiston’s city logo and motto, “Where life is sweet,” and celebrated at the annual Melon Fest. Many attribute the crop’s success to its high sugar content, said to be due to the region’s rich soil, hot days and cool nights.

Paul Kern is a sales representative for Botsford & Goodfellow, a distributor working with four growers in Hermiston, including Bellinger Farms, Walchli Farms and Pollock & Sons. He said demand for the watermelons picked up at the end of July but has slowed in recent weeks.

Sales are lower at this point in the season than they were last year, Kern said, though he noted many “summer staples” such as corn had encountered similar downturns. Bellinger said several regular buyers had chosen to buy out-of-state this year.

Kern attributed the downturn to a “glut” of fruit on the market, noting it was a strong growing year for producers across the board. He also cited poor weather in the Willamette Valley and Seattle metropolitan area.

“People weren’t rushing out to go and grab a watermelon when it was 64 (degrees) and pouring sideways,” Kern said. “One hundred-degree days, you want to be out by that pool, enjoying that watermelon with your favorite beverage.”

Bellinger said watermelons are typically harvested between the first week of July and first week of October. This year’s harvest began about two weeks later than usual, about July 17, due to a colder spring.

“We anticipate having a strong, strong finish because of the late start,” he said.