Despite the recent cold weather, the watermelon greenhouse of Zhang Chaoyang, a grower in Dongzhu Village, Weiji Town, Suining County, is filled with warmth. Among the lush green vines, round and plump watermelons emit a fruity fragrance, while workers are busy picking and transporting them, creating a bustling scene of a bumper harvest.
Inside the greenhouse, a "multiple protection" system featuring three layers of insulating film over an arched棚 is particularly noticeable, a "customized warmth plan" designed by Zhang Chaoyang for his watermelons to survive the winter. Thanks to meticulous care, the two varieties he cultivates, "Kunlin No. 5" and "Carnival No. 5," yield a stable output of around 4,000 jin per mu. Although the yield is slightly lower than in previous years, the quality is exceptionally outstanding—each fruit weighs about 5 jin, with a sugar content reaching 12 to 13 degrees. A single bite releases a burst of sweet juice, offering a full and delightful flavor.
"Having grown watermelons for over a decade, I've always been thinking about how to avoid the peak harvest season," Zhang Chaoyang said. Traditional watermelons hit the market en masse in March and April, leading to significant price fluctuations; sometimes they can only sell for one or two yuan per jin, resulting in very unstable income. To seize market opportunities, he was determined to tackle the technical challenges. "Early planting is indeed difficult, requiring considerable effort just on insulation alone, but the benefits are clear: there's less market competition pressure, and prices remain stable." Currently, these watermelons are fetching a wholesale price of 5 to 6 yuan per jin, and the entire harvest from over 30 mu of land has been pre-ordered, with no worries about sales.
Outside the greenhouse, Jiang Kelin, a wholesaler from Suqian, is busy loading his truck. "I've already made two trips, totaling over 7,000 jin, and I'm waiting to load another 1,000-plus jin now, but unfortunately, the supply can't keep up," Jiang Kelin said. These early-ripening watermelons have excellent taste and superior quality, and market demand is particularly strong. Regular customers are eager to get them; as long as you can secure the goods, selling them is never a problem.
These greenhouse watermelons have not only allowed Zhang Chaoyang to secure a stable "sweet livelihood" but have also paved a new path for the development of the specialty planting industry in Weiji Town. In recent years, leveraging the natural resources of the ancient Yellow River course, Weiji Town has encouraged farmers to explore new avenues for increasing income, such as off-season planting and cultivating improved seed varieties. Through measures like introducing superior varieties, inviting agricultural experts for on-site guidance, and promoting scientific planting techniques, the local area has precisely addressed farmers' cultivation challenges and continuously broadened their paths to prosperity.
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