A pumpkin shortage? Farmers say that's not the case in the London, Ont., area
Isha Bhargava | CBC News | Posted: October 13, 2023 12:37 PM | Last Updated: October 13, 2023
Some farmers are considering different options of where and how to grow crops
Although parts of southwestern Ontario are seeing smaller, soggy, and in some cases, a complete shortage of pumpkins, growers in the London area say their crops are plentiful and that's bringing new business to their farms.
"There are no problems for me. We've got lots of pumpkins and a variety of sizes so in the end, we've got a decent crop," said Roy Phillips, owner of the century Phillips' Family Farm in northwest London.
Due to the pumpkin shortage in other areas, Phillips said he is getting orders from out-of-town customers.
"We did have a family who came from Windsor to get pumpkins because they can't even find them there and that's surprising, but I have heard in southern Ontario there's a shortage so it could be the case in other areas."
Grade 12 student Lindsey Bareich was the Windsor customer who travelled to Phillips' farm in London to pick up 20 pumpkins, which she had a tough time securing in her region due to failed crops in Essex County, as a result of this year's heavy rainfall.
"This season has been pretty bad for giant pumpkins especially, which is the kind we're looking to get. We can't find any local ones and so we're having to look up in the London area for some," Bareich said.
WATCH: The large pumpkin stock at Phillips Family Farm:
Farmers consider alternatives with climate change
Intense rainfall has presented a challenge in growing crops for Kusterman's Adventure Farm in Mount Brydges, Ont., right outside London. However, crop manager Noah Vanderelst said berries were hit harder than pumpkins.
"It's been a lot different for sure this year, we've had a ton of rain so that's been a bit challenging for us," Vanderelst said. "For the most part ours has been really good, but we do have a couple of spots that are lower with water sitting in the yield. But we're fairly happy with how everything has turned out this year."
Kusterman's has been getting requests from local farms around the area who had issues with their crops this year, but because they have a U-pick setup, those requests can't be accommodated, Vanderelst said.
Out west in Alberta, growers face the opposite issue of drought. Weather changes are making farmers consider different options as to where and how they grow crops such as greenhouses or pot set-ups and growing them out of the ground in substrate soil, Vanderelst said.
"We're lucky but there's a lot of stuff out of your control so you have to keep up with new trends and talk to other farmers about how they're dealing with those issues which can go a long way in helping your own operations," he said.
"Our [harvest] numbers are higher than last year, but it's all weather dependent, so we've had a bit cold spills here which has reduced numbers but fall is very unpredictable that way with the temperatures."
Moisture from the rainfall has been a blessing for Phillips who said his pumpkins are the largest he's ever grown this year. Future climate events don't worry Phillips, who has already grown 10-acres of lines before his harvest season ends on Halloween.
"The weather is always changing and it always will," Phillips said. "Certainly we get different weather patterns, but we'll adapt as we always do."