Fruit
Charleston Gray
A tier
Charleston Gray is an elongated light-green watermelon developed for disease resistance and shipping toughness in the mid-twentieth-century American South. Flesh is red and sweet with a slightly coarser grain than some dessert icebox types; rind is thick and pale gray-green. Fruit size is large—often 20–40 pounds—suited to farm stands and family reunions. Excellent for big crowds, pickled rind projects, and classic Southern summer tables. The thick rind travels better than thin-skinned gourmet types. Wait for full ripeness; underripe elongated melons taste bland despite impressive size.
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Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
USDA and South Carolina work released Charleston Gray for resistant commercial production.
Southern shippers adopted Charleston Gray as a leading elongated market melon.
Charleston Gray defined many Americans’ image of a big pale-green watermelon.
Specialty and nostalgic plantings kept Charleston Gray after hybrid seedless expansion.