An Ottawa farmer says people who want to carve Jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween should consider buying their pumpkins early because there could be a shortage this year. A rainy summer has affected the pumpkin harvest this year. Ottawa saw a record-breaking amount of rain this year, with 547.8 millimetres of rain officially recorded at the Ottawa airport in June, July, and August. Mark Saunders, Director of Fun at Saunders Farm, told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll on Monday that his farm saw even more than that. “We have 700 millimetres tracked at the farm, which is 27 inches of rain. That’s two-and-a-half times more than the average rainfall,” he said. The excessive rain meant that pumpkin plants were left underwater longer than usual. “They’re not underwater plants; they’re above ground,” Saunders explained. “And so, the oxygen gets choked off from the plant, and then they don’t thrive. We were pumping the fields, and we were digging trenches and all that sort of thing, but the weather just kept coming and coming this past summer.” The effect on the crop means that pumpkins might start to run out before Halloween. “If you want to get a pumpkin this year, go out to your local farm and get them sooner than later because there may be a shortage later in the season,” he said. North Gower farm lost 40% of crop Mel Foster, co-owner of the Foster Family Farm in North Gower, told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal that the wet summer did significant damage to the pumpkin crop. “There’s a field out in North Gower where our main farm is, and it’s almost a 100 per cent write-off, but then we’ve got a very good field in Ottawa on some sand that drains well, and it’s a good crop,” he said. “So, if you average it out, we’re probably down 30 to 40 per cent, maybe even 45 per cent.” Foster said pooling water has been affecting other crops as well, and he added that weeds have been especially bad this year. “They just keep growing,” he said. “And as you can imagine, we’ve got to shift from planting and weeding to harvesting, or else we’ll go bankrupt. We’ve got to sell our vegetables and pumpkins in the fall here to make the ends meet.” Ron Miller, co-owner of Millers Farm, told CTV News Ottawa it has seen a good pumpkin crop this year and will be helping other farmers. “We’ve had fields with good drainage where some other farmers weren’t, as fortunate. We’re helping out six other farmers with them. But maybe next year they’ll be helping me out. That’s how it works in the farming business. We all rub each other’s back,” he said. Pumpkins good to keep if left uncarved Halloween is still weeks away, but Saunders said pumpkins will last through the month, if you don’t carve them yet. “As soon as you carve them, there’s a shelf life,” he said, “So, probably about a week before they start to rot a little bit.” You can draw on your pumpkin early and carve it a few days before Halloween, Saunders suggested, and they’re fine to leave outdoors. “Generally, if they’re sitting on the ground and it’s dirt ground and you’re in a low area and you get a lot of frost, you could have a little bit of rot on the bottom. So, just keep them up on something,” he said. “If you just raise them up a couple of inches off the ground, or if they’re on a step on your house, they’re fine.” Saunders Farm still has pumpkins, but Saunders said some had to be brought in from other farms this year. “We’ve had some big, beautiful orange ones. We also grow a lot of ornamentals now—ones that warty and have a little bit of purpley colour or other kinds of things which go perfectly well for the spooky season,” he said. “But we also have had to bring in pumpkins. So, when you come onto the farm right now, you’re not going to notice a difference. You’ll probably see a few less as the season goes because, as we sell pumpkins, we don’t have a lot more to replenish.” He said pumpkins are going for between $6 and $15, depending on size. With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Camille Wilson
