Those Poor Pumpkins: Weather Ruins This Year's Crop

This time of year, pumpkins in South Jersey can usually be seen in bushels and baskets at local farm stands. After ripening on the vine, the harvest usually begins in late September through the end of October.

But, this year’s crop is reportedly lighter than usual, as a result of a hot, dry July followed by heavy rains in August.

“Pumpkins and any melons need to sit in a dry spot,” said Colleen Hart, of on Lenola Road in Moorestown. “After heavy rains, if they don’t have time to dry out, the skin gets soft and mushy.”

Hart said that out of the 2-3 acres devoted to pumpkins on her farm, nearly half of the pumpkin crop was lost, and that the wilted ones would be thrown into the compost pile for animals.

“This year, we might be buying pumpkins from farms in Lancaster or Morgantown,” Hart said. “We will make sure we have them for our customers.”

But, Amy Hunter, of on Union Landing Road in Cinnaminson, said she is having trouble finding pumpkins from farm friends outside of New Jersey.

“So many farmers, even in Pennsylvania, have had a tough summer with melons of all kinds,” Hunter said. “So much water flooded the fields and didn’t drain in time. It just destroys the crop. We might have to reach into Ohio.”

Extreme heat, like our area had in July, stresses most crops. But, when the fields don’t drain, it allows fungal diseases to develop and seep into the pumpkin skins, said Rick VanVranken, agriculture agent for Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

“Heavy rains in August are especially bad for pumpkins because the pumpkins have grown larger and are harder to move,” he said. “Fungicides are sprayed early in the season but wear off by August. By that time, the farmers can’t lift and apply the fungicide adequately.”

According to VanVranken, Burlington County farms seemed to have fared better than those in Monmouth County.

“We are just getting reports that there aren’t many pumpkins in Monmouth County,” VanVranken said.

Owner of on Lenola Road, Debbie Browning-Hess said her farm’s smallest pumpkins have a hard shell, and they look fine.

“But, our larger ones suffered terribly,” Browning-Hess said.

Browning-Hess says she’s been hearing from veteran farmers—one as old as 95—that this is one of the worst years for large pumpkins and gourds.

Were the varying weather patterns good for any crops?

“Our mums are absolutely beautiful this year,” adds Browning-Hess. “They caught the ideal amount of heat and rain at the right time."