“They’re still growing,” he said Monday afternoon while standing at a trailer that contained several dozen watermelons, some deeply green, some lighter.  The orange meats were lined up toward the front. “They’ll grow until the first freeze.”

The deeper green ones, Hampton said, are a late season variety called All-Sweet.  

Hampton also sells cantaloupes.  I bought one whose flesh glowed orange through the rind.

Hampton, who lives in Blevins himself but grew up in Hope, said he will be at the North Hervey roadside all during this week.