They have long been synonymous with autumn and Halloween - but pumpkins could be in short supply this year after the scorching summer weather impacted harvests.
Pumpkin growers have told shoppers that the shortage could also mean paying a higher price for their Jack-o’-lanterns this year. Pumpkins aren’t the only produce to be affected by the heatwave, with farmers warning that other fruits and vegetables including potatoes, onions, carrots and apples could be smaller and wonkier than usual in supermarkets due to reduced quantities.
One of the UK’s leading pumpkin wholesale growers said that their harvest was down by a third this year. Guy and Emily French, who run Foxes Farm Produce in Essex, told The Mirror that the farm has already sold out of its crop after pumpkin patch organisers and party planners snapped them up on pre-orders.
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“The quality of the pumpkin is good - the skin finish is good, they’re a really good orange,” Mr French said. “But the drought had a knock-on impact on yield. You just haven’t got the volume there.”
He added: “We are selling at a higher price, but the main factor for that is our input costs. We always say to customers - if you think the price of filling up your car with diesel has doubled, think of what it does for a tractor.”
And Lincolnshire farmer William Tyrell warned that the heatwave hasn’t just led to fewer pumpkins, but has also ripened the crop too early. He explained that this issue means that the pumpkins need to be placed into controlled storage so they don’t spoil before October, but that this therefore “ruins the experience for the public coming to pick their own”.
Last month , the National Farmers’ Union issued an appeal to supermarkets to relax their specifications to allow for imperfect fruit and veg to be sold in order to meet customer demand ahead of Christmas. “With a smaller total crop we should make the best of every bit that is available,” NFU vice president David Exwood said.
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