Rocky Ford melons are eventually coming, but there may be fewer of them

ROCKY FORD, Colo. (KRDO)- Rocky Ford cantaloupes and watermelons are a staple of Colorado Summers. But already mid-way through July, they're nowhere to be found at Colorado supermarkets.

Typically, grocery chains across the state would have some melons by now, but hail storms in Rocky Ford have delayed the product reaching shelves.

Even in Rocky Ford, a fruit stand outside of Knapp's Farm is selling out-of-state cantaloupe. The farm, which is part of the Rocky Ford Growers Association, is waiting on their much-desired melons to ripen.

"We've actually lost fields, completely lost them because of the large hailstones," Brian Knapp told KRDO. Knapp has been farming the land in Rocky Ford for decades, farming in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Knapp says they have gotten accustomed to hail storms and extreme weather in recent years, but storms this year wiped out 15-20 acres of the cantaloupes on his farm. He estimates they plant about 7,000 cantaloupes per acre, which means he lost somewhere between 105,000 to 140,000 melons.

"The cantaloupes that we did lose were our first plantings of cantaloupes," he says.

Knapp added that other farms likely dealt with similar issues with their early plantings, which explains why the melons aren't in stores by mid-July.

Luckily for Knapp, only some of his cantaloupes were in the path of the hail storms. His watermelons are fine, but just not ready to be picked yet.

"We have a number of more fields right behind (the first plantings of cantaloupes), Knapp says. And so the second planting will be starting in about 10 days or so."

Knapp is still confident that the classic Rocky Ford melons will make it to market eventually, adding he thinks they'll be in stores in about two weeks. But, there may be fewer of them available.

"When you see them in the stores, it's the time to get them, because there may be some lapses where the stores don't have them."

Knapp says that while too much rain can put a fungus in the vines, the recent rain hasn't really been a problem. It's the hail that caused problems.

But don't worry, he doesn't expect the melons to taste any different than they normally do.