INDIANA – Stephen Meyers, an assistant professor in the College of Agriculture’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue University, predicts there will be plenty of pumpkins available for Hoosiers.
Pumpkins are planted in early summer for an intended September harvest. Meyers says large jack-o’-lantern-style pumpkins can take up to 120 days to grow, which is a long time to keep a crop in the field.
This is the second straight year that the Midwest had weeks without meaningful rainfall followed by several weeks of significant rain right at the time pumpkins are planted. Meyers says those conditions delayed the emergence of this year’s crop, but there was enough rain in recent weeks to produce an above-average crop.
Meyers predicts plenty of pumpkins will be available for consumers.
“But I think we had significant rainfall or enough rainfall to make an above-average crop this year,’ Meyers added. “If we think about something like average, that’s the midpoint between two extremes. And so this year, I think, is going to be slightly above average. We hear a lot of farmers that maybe have a little less production than they like, but the quality of the pumpkins is still really good.”
“And we hear from others who say that the both production and quality of the pumpkins are excellent this year, both in Indiana and the Midwest,’ Meyers added. “I think there’ll be plenty of pumpkins available for consumers. It’s going to depend on where you are in the country and what market you buy your pumpkins from. So whether you get them from a local farm or the grocery store, that’s going to really dictate the supply and the price.”
Indiana is one of the nation’s largest pumpkin producers. Last year, Meyers said Indiana planted 6,500 acres worth $30 million.
