The St. Helena Parks & Recreation Department will host the 2023 Hometown Harvest Festival, Pet PAWrade, and Community Fun Run on Saturday, Oct. 21.

And with roughly 500 acres planted with watermelons, Coosaw Farms is one of the state’s biggest growers with its 116 acres on St. Helena a key contributor to the output.

But for a 4- to 6-week window in June to early July, tiny St. Helena Island is a big player in the East Coast tomato market, says Zach Snipes, a horticulture extension agent at Clemson University.