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‘Calhoun Gray,’ released in 1965, was the third of five watermelons developed by LSU at the Calhoun Research Station. It was the result of crosses made between ‘Calhoun Sweet,’ a ‘Black Diamond’-type melon released in 1951, and the venerable heirloom ‘Charleston Gray. ’At one point, ‘Calhoun Gray’ was the industry standard for resistance to Fusarium wilt.
We grew ‘Calhoun Gray’ from seeds provided by USDA for two consecutive years. Vines consistently produced 25-to-35-pound melons with sweet, deep red flesh. Vines are vigorous, but not unmanageable which makes ‘Calhoun Gray’ a great choice for home vegetable gardens.
‘Calhoun Gray’ will be a focus of seed increase work in the 2025 growing season.
‘Calhoun Gray’ has sweet, deep red flesh. Photo by Kerry Heafner.
‘Calhoun Gray’ is a cool, sweet treat on a hot summer day! Photo by Kerry Heafner.
‘Calhoun Gray’ consistently produces good-sized melons weighing between 25 and 30 lbs. The melon pictured came in at 30.7 lbs. Photo by Kerry Heafner.
‘Calhoun Gray’ is productive as far north as Massachusetts, as evidence by this beautiful specimen grown and photographed by home gardener Gene Ravvin in Medway, MA.
‘Calhoun Gray’ is a very disease-resistant alternative to ‘Charleston Gray,’ which is one of its parents. Photo by Kerry Heafner.
A ‘Calhoun Gray’ fruit sizing up on a disease-resistant vine. Photo by Kerry Heafner.
