‘Crisis’ for UK farmers: Bad weather ruins Halloween pumpkin crops | UK | News
Halloween revellers are facing the scary prospect of a shortage of pumpkins to carve this October as gloomy weather across Britain has “ruined the harvest”.
Digging and carving spooky faces into the bright orange squash is a tradition enjoyed by millions during the occult festival, but nightmarish weather conditions mean farmers are struggling to grow enough of the crop to meet demand.
The Daily Star reports Pumpkin growers across the country have reported failed harvests, blaming a colder-than-normal June and July due to brutal Arctic winds.
It is frightening to note that some pumpkin patches, often frequented by families wanting to pick their own, have even been forced to close.
Farms and stores that don’t have pumpkins are trying to buy them by the truckload from wholesalers, but vendors have nearly sold out, meaning some families could be without pumpkins next month.
Lyburn Farm, Landford, Wiltshire, one of Britain’s largest pumpkin wholesalers, reported a rush from other farms trying to buy its 200,000 pumpkins and 400,000 squashes.
Boss Jono Smales said: “We have managed to grow pumpkins this year but we are getting lots of calls from growers across the country, particularly in the North, whose crops have failed due to the summer weather. They want to buy our pumpkins.”
“Everyone is looking for truckloads, but our order book is already full and we’ve almost sold everything. We’ve had calls from growers, farms, pumpkin patches and a supermarket.
“Pumpkins are planted in May, so the cool June and July meant the crop couldn’t establish on some farms and died or came in very, very late.”
Kilduff Farm in East Lothian, Scotland, has been forced to permanently close its pumpkin patch after severe weather damaged crops.
Lucy Calder, from Kilduff Farm, said: “The unpredictable weather made delivering a large patch of pumpkins very difficult.”
Many farms also continue to advertise for pickers just two weeks before the season begins, fearing that some pumpkins will rot in the fields.
Mr Smales said: “It can be difficult for pumpkin patches to find pickers for just a few weeks’ work.”
