The weeks leading up to Halloween are busy ones in the pumpkin field. Harvest is in full swing. “We always start right around Labor Day,” says Ryan Van Groningen with van Groningen & Sons. Volumes really picked up by Mid to End-September, as that’s the time of the year people start buying them. “Harvest continues all the way through Halloween and 95-99 percent of our pumpkins will be harvested prior to October 31st,” said Van Groningen. All the company’s pumpkins are grown near Manteca in California. The state’s climate is perfect for pumpkins as chances of adverse weather are rather limited. 
Smaller varieties require unique climate
Van Groningen & Sons grows about 30 different pumpkin varieties. The large orange carving variety makes up about 40 percent of the company’s volume. “This is our largest variety by volume and is mainly grown for the California market,” mentioned Van Groningen. About 75-85 percent of this variety stays in California. “We also grow some smaller, more decorative varieties and those are distributed within the Western 11 states. They are smaller and less expensive to transport. Another important reason for these varieties being shipped outside California is the unique weather.” The smaller varieties need a dry climate and not many growing regions are suited to grow them. “There are a few other growers in California who grow the smaller varieties. I know of one or two growers in Washington, but none in Arizona nor Nevada.”
Clearly, some varieties perform better than others. The orange mini pumpkins are doing very well this year. “In previous years we’ve struggled with Aphid, which caused damage to the appearance. This year, the crop looks really good. On a small scale, we tried a new variety Wolf this year. This one didn’t produce well for us and we heard similar stories from other growers.”
Sales subjective to economy
The popularity of pumpkins hasn’t changed much over the years. However, Van Groningen notices that sales are based on the state of the economy. “In a poor economy, people don’t buy as many pumpkins as they can’t afford to spend money on decorative items. Now that the economy has improved, sales are back to normal.”
About 90-95 percent of Van Groningen and Sons’ pumpkins are sold through retail outlets. “Our pumpkins can be found at grocery stores as well as hardware and home improvement stores. The company’s pumpkins are sold under the Pamper’D brand. “For 20 years, this has been our brand name for pumpkins and fall items.”
For more information:
Ryan Van Groningen
Van Groningen & Sons
Tel: 209-982-5248