The Watermelons of Kherson – First Crops of 2024

Watermelons of Kherson

Watermelons of Kherson.
Watermelons of Kherson

Watermelons of Kherson image: Olaffpomona, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

This post is featured on South Coast View’s Instagram account and YouTube channel.

The Kherson Oblast, a farming area on the Dnipro River, produces most of the watermelons eaten in Ukraine. The fruit grows in the region because of its humid climate.

Kherson Watermelon Monument

The watermelon is a symbol of the Kherson Oblast. The associated photograph shows a soldier of the 128th Zakarpattia Mountain Assault Brigade standing in front of the damaged Kherson Watermelon Monument.

Image: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

A soldier standing in front of the damaged Kherson Watermelon Monument.
A soldier standing in front of the damaged Kherson Watermelon Monument

The “Gifts of the Kherson Region” sign, commonly known as the Watermelon Monument, is located in Visokopyla near the village of Osokorivka in the Kherson Oblast.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a joke about being in Kherson because he “wanted a watermelon” when he visited the newly liberated city in 2022. The president was referring to the watermelon, a symbol of the Ukrainian oblast of Kherson.

It is said that centuries ago, the Crimean Tatars brought watermelons to the Kherson area. When sugar was scarce in the 1940s and 1950s, residents of the area would boil watermelon to make jam or molasses.

Celebrating the Watermelons of Kherson

Before the current war, a barge laden with watermelons would leave Kherson for Kyiv along the River Dnipro as part of an annual televised custom to mark the beginning of harvest season. After a 14-year break, the yearly watermelon barge voyage began again in 2017. The brief custom was abandoned following the Russian invasion, but Kherson’s fight for independence while under occupation is symbolised by the elevation of the watermelon as the city’s mascot.

Source: BBC News.

Watermelons of Kherson – First crops were out early August in Bilohirka, Kherson

The video above was posted on X by Harley Whitehead, a British Sapper in the Ukrainian Volunteer Army (UDA). This charming video, as posted on X has subtitles in English. Unfortunately, these do not appear in this post, but you can view them on Harley’s X account by touching or pressing the Watch on X text. Essentially, this lovely family welcome all who pass by to pay a visit and buy some of these delicious watermelons.

About Harley Whitehead

Harley works as a sapper in the Kherson region and knows this family well. He says: This elderly couple you may recognise from my previous posts, we have supported them a number of times and they have supported us by feeding us daily and welcoming us into their home. If you stop by in Kherson, buy a Watermelon and support these people.

Harley is a volunteer and is self-funded through donations. You can help Harley and his team at the Ukrainian Volunteer Army by donating:

Harley’s Official Donation Links

Related post: Meet Harley Whitehead – British Volunteer Certified EOD Technician in Ukraine.

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