80-year-old Mechanicsville man wins 10th ribbon for largest watermelon, a friendly rivalry comes to an end

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — An 80-year-old Mechanicsville man has earned his 10th blue ribbon at the State Fair of Virginia’s Giant Watermelon Contest for his 246-pound watermelon.

According to Hanover County , from 2007 to 2016, Davis Wells has received nine blue ribbons in the Giant Watermelon Contest, but his winning streak was broken by rival and friend Hank Houston, who won from 2017 to 2023.

“Hank was the only one that kept knocking me off,” Wells said. “He’d beat me just a little bit, then come on and harass me — all in good fun. I thought I had it last year, and he laughed the whole year and said, ‘I’m going to keep you out of it as long as I can, but you’ll probably get me.'”

Wells’s determination helped him earn his 10th blue ribbon at the State Fair this year. However, his victory came with grievances, as his friend and competitor, Houston passed away in June unexpectedly.

Houston’s widow Sharon, under Wells’s guidance, continued to grow her husband’s watermelon — earning fifth place at the State Fair this year.

“When I first met Hank, he wanted to know if I’d give him pointers on getting started,” Wells recalled. Over the years, they traveled together to compete in events in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Wells is 80 years old and has been gardening since he was a child growing up in Isle of Wight County. He says every April, he grows between 15 to 20 melons in small cups indoors and monitors them for progress. Then once the plants start growing, he transfers them to 10-by-10-foot raised beds in his yard.

He shared there is no secret to the science of growing large melons, but he did say it’s necessary to ensure the PH level of the soil is optimal.

“Good seed, good soil and good luck. It takes all three of them to have that kind of success,” he said.

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