Newfoundland-grown cantaloupe a big hit, farmer says

A farmer in central Newfoundland says he's experiencing a big success with locally-grown cantaloupe.

When Wooddale farmer Chris Oram started selling his melons at Mark's Market, customers were doubtful when he first told them the fruit was grown on the island.

"First they didn't believe they were grown here, and [after] a little bit of convincing, then they were pretty impressed by it," he said. "And then word got around pretty quick."

The locally-grown cantaloupes are about half the size of the average store melon, but Oram said they are far sweeter than what you'd find on the shelves in your grocery store.

According to Oram, it didn't take long for people from other parts of the island to contact him about availability.

"We had quite a few people stop by, and actually people messaging from St. John's on our Facebook [page] asking how to get a melon, what they got to do to get 'em and stuff," Oram said.

He sold out his cantaloupe stock and has moved on to other harvests, but people are still asking for the melon.

Oram said he'll expand his offerings next year, hoping to double his cantaloupe crop and boost his watermelon harvest from a couple of dozen to a couple of hundred melons..