Taoyuan engineer develops mini palm-sized watermelon
Taoyuan engineer develops mini palm-sized watermelon
2026-07-27
It’s common these days to see watermelons so big you can’t even wrap both arms around one. But have you ever seen one small enough to fit in the palm of your hand? An engineer in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District with a penchant for farming came up with a new cultivation method to grow these mini watermelons in a greenhouse. He says they’re perfect for smaller households that can’t finish a full-sized watermelon, as these fruits are only a single portion.
There’s nothing better than taking a refreshing bite of watermelon in the searing summer heat. But what’s this? It fits in one hand!
Someone with larger hands picks up two at once, proving that they can fit in the palm of your hand. These unusually small fruits are perfect for gift baskets.
Chiang Lin-ta
Farmer
There aren’t many people in a single household these days. If you want a regular watermelon to bring home, you’re caught in a dilemma whether to buy it or not, since it’s hard to keep if you don’t finish it. But a melon of this size is perfect for a single serving, so people are more willing to buy it.
The creator of these mini watermelons is Chiang Lin-ta. Although he works as an engineer, as a third-generation melon farmer, he started growing watermelon as a side hustle. In his free time, he works hard in his greenhouse and fields to come up with innovative cultivation methods. Each tiny watermelon is less than 10cm in diameter, weighs 300g to 600g, and has a sweetness level of 7 to 10 degrees. The fruit is also crunchier than regular watermelon.
Chiang finds growing fruit to be interesting and stress-relieving. It’s also a way to spend time with his dad, giving him a deep sense of accomplishment.
Chiang Lin-ta
Farmer
Planting in the greenhouse yields a fruit-bearing rate of over 95%. In the 116-square-meter greenhouse, we can plant 400 vines that will yield over 1,000 melons.
Guanyin Farmers’ Association chair
The timing coincides with the Guanyin Lotus Festival, so the whole setup can be made into a leisure farm where tourists can come and pick fruit.
Although he hasn’t completely taken over the farm yet, Chiang continues to work alongside his father, leveraging his expertise to create new agricultural techniques and specialty produce that’s high-quality, marketable, and competitive.
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#farmer #watermelon #fruit #Taoyuan #miniwatermelon #agriculture
桃園觀音工程師斜槓種瓜 培育出迷你巴掌大小西瓜
2026-07-27
兩隻手才能勉強抱起的大西瓜，相信大家都不陌生，但您有見過一手掌握，巴掌大小的迷你西瓜嗎？桃園觀音有位工程師斜槓當瓜農，以創新栽培方式，在溫室培育出迷你西瓜。他說因為現代小家庭居多，大西瓜吃不完浪費，迷你西瓜一顆差不多就一人份，消費者比較能接受。
一口吃下香甜可口的西瓜肉，炎熱的夏天瞬間消暑不少，但仔細看，這西瓜居然一隻手就能端起。
手較大的人拿起兩顆西瓜，確定真的只有巴掌大，小的出奇，甚至還能打包當禮物，實在特別。
[[瓜農 江林達]]
“現在家庭都是屬於小家庭嘛，那你現在買西瓜，一顆這麼大顆回去，你要買也不是，不買也不是，因為買了之後呢，因為你一次沒辦法食用完，那就是新鮮度就沒辦法保存，那你這剛好這樣一顆的量，剛好就是一個人的量，就是消費者接受度會比較高。”
培育出迷你西瓜的是他，江林達，明明是工程師，但也身為瓜農第三代，他開啟斜槓模式，利用閒暇，在溫室和田間忙，用創新栽培方式，培育出迷你小西瓜，一顆直徑不到10公分，重量約300到600克，甜度約7到10度，相比一般西瓜，果肉比較脆。
江林達說，種水果是興趣，既能紓壓、又能陪爸爸，還能獲得滿滿的成就感。
[[瓜農 江林達]]
“整間溫室下去種，那做果率大概九成五以上，然後它產出的話，一間三十五坪的話，大概可以種到四百株，那產出的話大概一千多顆。”
[[觀音區農會總幹事]]
“這個時間剛好是我們觀音辦理蓮花季的時間，那整個可以把它變成一個讓遊客來採摘的一個休閒產業。”
儘管沒有完全繼承父親衣缽，回家務農，但江林達依舊和爸爸一起，結合自身專業，將傳統農業創新，打造兼具品質、品牌與市場競爭力的特色農業。
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