Heavy rain reduces fall pumpkin yield

With heavy rains and hurricanes in September, many pumpkin growers lost their entire crop as it rotted in the fields. Locally, growers had more luck than those to the north of Kent County, so plenty of pumpkins dot the shelves and displays in the Cape Region.

Fourth-generation grower Mike Fennemore of Fifer Orchards said he was lucky the rains didn't destroy his entire crop. Fifer Orchards has 300 acres devoted to pumpkins out of its 2,400 acres of fruits and vegetables.

"Even with all the struggles, we do have plenty of varieties of pumpkins available," Fennemore said. "We had a very good bloom in late spring and early summer like many growers did, so it looked like everything was ideal until September."

Brandon Smith, Fifer Market manager in Dewey Beach, said he heard about problems due to heavy rains and Hurricane Irene being the cause of the pumpkin shortage.

"It's definitely not a great year for pumpkins," said Smith. "We keep hearing that Hurricane Irene did a lot more damage than we originally thought. There are not a lot available out there."

Fifer has sent pumpkins as far as Florida because other states are searching for the orange globes after normal suppliers in Pennsylvania, New York and New England lost entire crops.

"The whole east coast, especially Pennsylvania, really got hit hard," Smith said. "When the hurricane hit in August, anything after that was just not ideal."

He said the pumpkins have been better lately, but they are starting to run low at the market.

Too much water in the fields caused diseases, including mold and mildew, which eventually led to rotting pumpkins.

Gordon Johnson, fruit and vegetable specialist with the University of Delaware extension in Georgetown, said the hurricane and the subsequent heavy rains - some areas had as much as 20 inches in a 2-week period - caused some diseases in pumpkins. Depending on the field and growing system, losses varied.

Johnson estimates that Delaware growers lost about one-third of the pumpkin crop, either due to rotting in the field, or diseases that caused rot once the pumpkin was in storage.

During wet periods it is hard to keep pumpkins sprayed for diseases like powdery mildew, so that could affect quality of the pumpkins, said Johnson. The rain also affected local tomatoes and hurt other crops, including lima beans and snap beans.

Growers that have better luck are those growing in a no-till system, where they plant into a cover crop, which provides a barrier between the pumpkin and the soil. Those types of growers had fewer issues.

At Fifer Orchards, the Fennemores grow their pumpkins in a rye field. After the rye is finished over the winter into the spring, they plant the pumpkins on top, which gives the pumpkins a pillow to grow on and keeps them off the soil, Fennemore said.

"In Sussex and Kent, we have pretty good-draining soil, so we were fortunate," Fennemore said. "Folks north of us had a harder time and many lost entire crops. That's what is causing the pumpkin shortage."

Fennemore sells his pumpkins to grocery store chains for decoration across the East Coast. He said once the best pumpkins are gone, stores may have a hard time getting more.

"We still had a fair share of headaches because of the hurricane and all the rain, but overall we feel blessed to have anything at all," Fennemore said.

Most East Coast pumpkins are sold for decoration, while pumpkins in the Midwest and Western states go to make canned pumpkin.

Superfresh Produce Manager Bill Townsend said his store hasn't had any trouble finding pumpkins to sell as decoration. The storefront features a pumpkin and mum sale, and Townsend says he has plenty of pumpkins for pie-making too.

"We have done pretty well so far," said Townsend of Frankford. "I was in Dagsboro over the weekend and there were pumpkins for sale everywhere, so I haven't seen much effect here from the pumpkin shortage."

The Fifer Orchards stand in Dewey Beach will feature pumpkins while it is open Monday through Saturday until Nov. 1. After Nov. 1, the store will have a limited weekend schedule until after Thanksgiving, when it will close. For more information, visit fiferorchards.com.

Nick Roth contributed to this story.