Why You Won’t Find Watermelon at Long Family Markets (Yet!) – June 2025

As temperatures rise and summer begins to show itself, it’s natural to crave the classic tastes of the season, like a juicy slice of watermelon.

At Long Family Markets, we get asked every year around this time: “Where’s the watermelon?”

The answer? It’s not quite time yet.

Seasonality Matters

In Northern Virginia, watermelon doesn’t come into season until mid to late July, and sometimes not until early August, depending on rainfall and temperatures. Watermelon is a warm-weather crop that needs plenty of time in the sun to ripen fully on the vine. Harvesting it too early, or sourcing it from far outside our region, doesn’t just compromise the flavor. It compromises the entire purpose of a local farmers market.

Why We Don’t Bring in Produce “Just to Have It”

At Long Family Markets, we believe in working directly with small farms and microbusinesses in our region. That means you won’t find watermelon in June or strawberries in October. It’s not because we don’t love them, but because we’re committed to offering what is grown right here in our own community.

Our standard is local first, not local only. We make limited exceptions for products that add something our region simply can’t grow or produce. But we don’t bring in out-of-season produce from wholesalers to fill a gap on the calendar.

It can be tempting for markets to bring in produce from large wholesalers or distant states to meet customer expectations. But when that happens:

• Local farmers get undercut, losing customers to cheaper, out-of-season imports.
• Quality suffers, since that produce is often picked before it’s ripe and shipped long distances.
• Most importantly, the market loses its integrity as a community-based agricultural support system.

Supporting the Seasons Supports Our Farmers

Our mission is to connect you to the real growing cycles of Northern Virginia. That means:

• June brings early squash, garlic scapes, fresh berries, early peaches, and the first of the tomatoes.
• July ushers in sweet corn, more peaches, and tomatoes at their peak.
• Late July and August are watermelon time: sweet, red, sun-ripened, and worth the wait.

When you shop seasonally, you’re not just buying produce. You’re investing in the health of your local food system. You’re supporting the farm up the road, the family behind the table, and the future of sustainable agriculture in your community.

So hang tight, watermelon lovers. It’s coming, and when it does, it will be local, delicious, and absolutely worth waiting for.

Want to know what’s growing right now? Check out our What’s in Season guide, or read more in Why Local Markets Don’t Always Look Like Grocery Stores.