APPLING COUNTY, Ga. - A Georgia fourth-grader earned a sweet victory with her whopping watermelon she grew herself earlier this month.
Madelynn Murphy, a fourth-grade member of Georgia 4-H from Appling County, grew a 109.5-pound watermelon from one tiny seed - winning her top prize at the 2022 Georgia 4-H Watermelon Growing Contest on National Watermelon Day.
Murphy beat out 48 other watermelon entries from across the state.
The contest is designed to help students learn and use skills centered around agricultural and environmental science and fruit growing techniques.
The second and third prize winners were also from Appling County this year - with all three winners receiving cash prizes and ribbons to recognize their massive produce.
"Growing watermelons teaches basic plant science in a hands-on and fun way. Pretty much every kid thinks it’s neat to have a 100-pound watermelon in the backyard," said Shane Curry, an Appling County Agriculture and Natural Resources agent. "We’ve been fortunate over the past few years to have a lot of kids that are really good at it, and they keep getting better."
Georgia 4-H says the state's warm summers make it the ideal climate for growing successful watermelons and most kids in the competition use the "Carolina Cross" variety, which produces large watermelons.