Farmers have warned there could be considerably fewer pumpkins to pick from this autumn after the scorching UK summer. The summer months saw relentless hot weather across the country, with widespread drought in England and Wales that brought hosepipe bans, impacts on crops and wildlife, and fires.
Farmers report major crop losses
As a result, farmers have said there could be considerably fewer of the squash to pick from this autumn as the weather ruined growing conditions.
Eleanor Gilbert, 24, who works on her family’s Rookery Farm in Thatcham on the Hampshire-Berkshire border, claims all the local farms are struggling due to the dry conditions. She estimates they have lost 50 per cent of their crop and the pumpkins that have managed to grow have either been very small or have struggled to compete with weeds for light and space.
She said: “I am about 50% down on my average pumpkin crop.
“It is really quite devastating. It is not just me, it is farmers across the country. We are taking hits quite a lot lately. It is a lot more expensive this year to counteract the drought we have been facing.
“This year I am really feeling it, and I am not sure I am going to break even.”
Impact on pumpkin patch events
Eleanor has been growing her Berkshire Farm Girl Pumpkin Patch and Maize trail for the last four years, and has worked on her stepdad's farm since she was 14. One of the main money makers is her Pumpkin Patch & Big Bale Play events where people can pick pumpkins and explore a spooky maze. However, the maize used to create her maze has also not grown, so she has had to create a bale maze instead, at a higher cost.
Eleanor said: “I have spent the whole year creating this pumpkin patch to bring people onto the farm and I have put a lot of effort into it.
“This year is going to be a bit sparse because we just didn’t get the yield we were expecting. This is a chance for people to come down, chat to farmers, and really show that food doesn’t just come from the supermarket.
“We have lots of children come down every year and they love the freedom and running around on the bales. I think it will be a real shame if I can’t do it again.”
Eleanor said the main issues have been caused by the lack of rain and field fires from the dry conditions. She is unsure how much money she has lost, but used the example of her Hot Chocolate Pumpkin which she planted 1,000 of and ended up with one pumpkin. That seed cost her a few hundred pounds, and she says that one pumpkin will definitely not be worth enough to make that money back.
Future of pumpkin farming in question
The farmer, who posts on social media under Berkshire Farm Girl, says she always overplants so will just about have enough, but she might not be able to continue if summers get hotter.
She said: “Looking into the future they are saying it is going to be even hotter next year, and I am looking at it wondering whether we should be growing pumpkins anymore.
“It is really sad because I love farming and it is my passion. I hope I can carry it on, but this is really taking its toll on me as a young farmer.
“I am looking at whether this could be my last ever pumpkin harvest if I can’t afford to carry on going.”
Other farmers across the country are also reporting problems with their pumpkin crop this autumn. David Coulter, a farmer from Suffolk-based Home Farm Pumpkins, told the Telegraph: “In the heat, the pumpkins just gave up and stopped growing early, even when there was moisture available. With the lack of water and heat, it was a double whammy.”
Over the summer, the UK saw 77% of the average summer rainfall, with all areas except for north-west Scotland experiencing a dry summer, and parts of southern and eastern England seeing particularly parched conditions, including a run of 62 consecutive days without rain at Wisley, Surrey.
