The demand for pumpkins this fall is high, but yields were low this year, mainly due to drought.
“We had virtually no rainfall this summer, so the crop relied entirely on irrigation,” Mark Carroll, AgriLife Extension agent in Floyd County, said. “Getting the crop well established was an issue, but by July most fields looked good because pumpkins do really well in the heat.”
Harvest in Floyd County, the top-producing area in the state, is expected to finish by Oct. 14, Carroll said.
Most pumpkins grown in Texas are grown in Floyd County around Floydada, a small town known as the Pumpkin Capital, USA.
Some growers reported higher yields by 10%-20%, and others had 10% lower yields compared to last year.
Growers usually plant pumpkins between early May and June and harvest early to late September, depending on if they provide for the wholesale market or direct-to-consumer.
“It all comes down to the market they are hoping to supply,” Carroll said. “Whether that is the wholesale route to grocery stores and other retailers or selling from their storefront, they want them ready for Halloween and fall decorations.”
In previous reports, AgriLife Extension horticulture specialists and plant physiologists noted poor plant pollination during extreme heat could likely impact various crop yields.
The 2022 growing season presented fewer production issues compared to the overabundance of moisture last year, but the low yields were a disappointment, growers told AgriLife Today.
The high demand for pumpkins this year is due to the lower yields in Texas and other states, including New Mexico and Oklahoma.
“The price is the best it’s ever been, and the demand is incredible,” Cris Hacker, a pumpkin grower in Knox County, said. “Buyers call every day begging for pumpkins because it looks like most everyone’s production is down this season.”