Hurricane Irma impacts Asian vegetable acreage and delays Cole crops planting in St. Johns County

Winter Melon (pictured above), also known as ash gourd, is one of the crops included in the nearly 200 acres of Asian vegetables in St. Johns County that were damaged because of the high winds and inundating rainfall brought to the area by Hurricane Irma. According to UF/IFAS Extension of St. Johns County, one of the largest impacts for agriculture will be for cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprouts growers who will have to delay planting by one to two weeks during the peak fall growing window because of waterlogged soils. Small acreages of field corn and sweet potatoes were also impacted.