In a climate characterized as "challenging," a farm in Cambridgeshire has secured a UK record by cultivating an impressive 11,000 watermelons this year.

Oakley Farms, situated in Wisbech, managed to double its production capacity, a remarkable feat despite acknowledging the fruit's demanding cultivation process.

This farm, recognized for its cultivation of pumpkins and courgettes, has earned the distinction of being the United Kingdom's primary watermelon producer, as confirmed by Tesco.

The supermarket has hailed this year's harvest from Oakley Farms as "the largest yield ever achieved in Britain."

By employing diverse cultivation techniques, the grower successfully enhanced the fruit yield per plant, effectively doubling its previous production milestone of approximately 5,500 watermelons in 2020.

Farm manager Nick Molesworth highlighted how watermelon cultivation neatly aligns between the production cycles of courgettes in late spring and pumpkins in early autumn.

Explaining the journey, he remarked, "We experimented with various cultivation methods for the watermelons, and our efforts are now bearing fruit, quite literally, as we are reaping higher yields per plant."

Acknowledging the challenges of watermelon cultivation and the capricious British climate, Molesworth expressed contentment with the outcomes of this year's crop. Photo by User:Fred Hsu on en.wikipedia.