Wisbech farm claims UK record-breaking year for watermelons

A Cambridgeshire farm has claimed a UK record after growing 11,000 watermelons this year in what it described as a “challenging” climate.

Oakley Farms, in Wisbech, doubled its production despite finding the fruit “not that easy to grow”.

The farm, which also grows pumpkins and courgettes, is the UK’s biggest producer of watermelons, Tesco said.

The supermarket described this year’s harvest from the farm as “the largest yield ever produced in Britain”.

The grower tested different methods in order to produce more fruit per plant, doubling its previous production record from about 5,500 in 2020.

Farm manager Nick Molesworth said watermelons “fit in perfectly between production of courgettes in late spring and pumpkins in early autumn”.

“We have tried several different methods of growing the watermelons and are now getting more fruit per plant so the hard work is starting to pay off,” he said.

“They are not that easy to grow and the British climate can also be challenging but we’re very pleased with this year’s crop.”