Wet Weather Poses Problems for Pumpkins

Pumpkin picking, corn mazes and hayrides are to farmers what the 5 a.m. Black Friday holiday shopping deals are to retailers: A much-needed boost to their bottom line.

So, it’s no wonder that some area farms are struggling following , resulting in the great pumpkin being less so. Instead of row after brightly colored row of pumpkins ready for the picking, farmers are facing lower-than-usual crop yields and ruined pumpkins.

The estimated 30 inches of rain in August and September caused “a lot of loss” for Kohler Farms in Horsham, according to owner Pat Kohler.

“Moisture is the enemy,” Kohler said. “The plants rot and they’re susceptible to fungus.”

The brunt of the impact came during  and the subsequent Hurricane Lee, amounting to $50,000 to $60,000 in pumpkin crop destruction.

“Basically, you took that money and you threw it in the dirt,” Kohler said. “This is the worst I’ve ever seen in 30 years.”

But, the estimated 500 visitors a day leading up to Halloween will not go home pumpkin-less. Kohler said that in addition to pumpkins available for picking, the family farmers purchased pumpkins from Lancaster and Ohio for sale.

The owners of Solly Bros. Farm in Ivyland haven’t felt the full brunt of the record rainy season. Robert Solly figures they lost about 10-15 percent of the crop from physaphora fungus, which grows on fruits and vegetables that sit for too long on wet and soggy soil. He attributes the low losses to the farm’s crop rotation practices.

“You can also grow hard shell varieties of pumpkins that are less likely to rot in the wet soil, but they are harder to cut and carve,” he said.

Solly begins planting pumpkin seeds on June 1. During the 115-day gestation period, the farm constantly patrols the fields to manage the weeds and insect populations. Like most area farms, they also ship in additional pumpkins to fill out the patch.

"We definitely prefer dryer seasons,” said Solly. “You can always irrigate to bring in more water if you need it. But there’s not much you can do when those wet seasons come in.”

October is always a welcome month for the Solly Bros. Farm, attracting heavy traffic from weekend customers and local schools during the week. The allure of picking out personal pumpkins leads to more exploration of the grounds and more fresh produce for the kitchen.

“We’ve got a very diverse farm,” said Solly. “They come in for the pumpkins, then they stay to pick apples, concord grapes. We have strawberries in the summer.  Pumpkins are our number two crop.”

 in Buckingham also suffered pumpkin crop losses because of September's abundance of rain.

"We've probably lost 50 percent of our pumpkin crop due to our heavy rains," said Scott Erkes, one of the owners of None Such Farms. "I think everyone has been affected, but to what degree varies."

Erkes said that there were salvageable pumpkins in the harvest, but that some pumpkins had to come from other places.

 "We brought pumpkins in from Lancaster, so we can still have our pumpkin festival," he said.

Not only has the pumpkin harvest suffered, but Erkes said that fall broccoli and Brussels sprouts have also been affected.

"The ground is drying out now, so we're waiting to get in the fields for the fall harvests, but especially the pumpkin crops were affected," he said.

For the Kohler family, who are facing other obstacles including a , making it difficult to route to the 100-acre farm, the pumpkin loss was particularly difficult. Pat Kohler said she’s tried to obtain financial help through the state’s emergency management agency, but said assistance is available for flood-related damage only and not crop loss.

“We’re used to adversity,” Kohler said. “But, this is more than any business can handle.”