Family growing square watermelons

ANSONVILLE — Watermelons are oval or round unless they are grown in Anson County. Barbara and Joe Sikes of Ansonville are gardeners who grow many fruits and vegetables. They are known for their cantaloupes, watermelon, and other produce. But the square watermelon is something new for the Sikes family and even the United States.

In Japan, square watermelons are sold for as much as $200-500, and the Bradford watermelons of South Carolina attract people from as far away as a drive from New York to get. Barbara Sikes heard about square watermelons while at her beauty shop one day when a customer’s friend showed her an article about square melons in Japan, piquing Sikes’ interest. Square watermelons provide a fun novelty, so Sikes said they wanted to provide “something different and interesting for Anson County people to hear and see about.” Square watermelons have a practical use as well. They are grown to conserve usable space in small refrigerators since they can be stacked unlike other watermelons.

To complete the square watermelon growing process, Barbara Sikes explained that watermelon seeds go into a square box and needs enough rain can make the melon “grow and square up.” To get the sides more square and cube-like as someone would find in Japan, she recommends using plexi glass to flatten the watermelon down. Other trial and error solutions to consider include using bigger boxes because she said “one melon burst out and even pried some screws out of that wooden box.”

The Sikes’ square watermelons are a spectacle to see and surely taste great as well. Maybe one day, thanks to the Sikes’ hard work, square watermelons will be found in the local Food Lion.