Local pumpkin growers expecting great year
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It looks like a good year for area pumpkin growers.
"For the most part, it seems like the individuals I spoke with are expecting to have a great year as far as pumpkin production and they expect that prices could be low due to an abundance of pumpkins they expect to be available this year," said Will Whisler, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau spokesman. "Significant rainfall this year has resulted in a strong crop, although some fluctuations in temperature have made some varieties progress quicker than normal, leading to some stem rot/mushiness due to ripening too quickly."
Evelyn Bookhammer, co-owner of JB Tree Farm near Alexandria, expects a great quality of pumpkins, squash and gourds.
"The weather was a huge blessing this summer. It never seemed droughty this summer, and the rains were substantial and regular. That was great for our corn maze and pumpkins alike. However it did produce more weed pressure in the pumpkins however with the plastic mulch, it is not as much of a problem to have weeds. They are mostly between the rows," Bookhammer said.
JB Tree Farm grows many different varieties and colors of pumpkin, squash and gourds.
"This year we grew many small hardshell pumpkins for our cannon. Last year we used apples, but with the late freeze, it might be harder to get apples," Bookhammer said.
"Two favorite types of pumpkins here are 'Mellow Yellow' and 'One Too Many.' We grow as many different colors of pumpkins as we can find. Yellow is very popular and 'One Too Many' are light orange with veining all over."
Way Fruit Farm near Port Matilda expects a good crop of pumpkins.
"Our crop looks better than normal, our sweet corn and apples were ok, plums and cherries were killed. All the rain, as long as there was not too much they were able to grow," owner Jason Coopey said. "We were fighting some diseases early. Disease can shut down the plants but the powdery mildew is on the leaves and it does not affect the pumpkins."
Way Fruit Farm grows about 20 varieties of pumpkins. The most popular are the classic orange Halloween pumpkins, the kind used for jack-o'-lanterns, Coopey said.
Harner Farm near State College expects an above average crop, thanks to the rainfall it received, said owner Chris Harner.
"The sizes are up, they are good and plentiful. Like any other crop with warm weather and rain they grow quickly and get pretty big. I think they are bigger than normal," Harner said. "We grow white, yellow, 6-8 varieties of orange pumpkins and four varieties of gourds. We have all sizes small, medium and large. Medium size, 15-25 pounds are the most popular. Gladiators are a nice uniform pumpkin."
Leidig's Farm near Tyrone expects an average to below average crop, owner Don Leidig Jr. said.
"We had too much rain, some got diseases and rotted. The pumpkins are bigger than usual but there may not be as many. We grow about 15-20 different varieties," Leidig said.
Pumpkin growing is a big business in Pennsylvania.
According to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, Pennsylvania is the third largest pumpkin producer in the nation, growing 108.8 million pounds in 2024.
More than 6,800 acres of pumpkins are grown in the commonwealth across 1,102 farms. But what makes Pennsylvania especially interesting is the widespread pumpkin production. Pumpkins are grown in 66 of the state's 67 counties.
Lancaster County leads the way with 212 farms producing pumpkins, followed by York County with 62 and Chester County with 53.
If you are looking for the perfect pumpkin "check for a solid and firm stem -- a soft stem can indicate that a pumpkin will not stay fresh for as long," Whisler said.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.