Lynchburg-area farms selling pumpkins say they’re seeing more people showing up to pick their own and if the pumpkins seem smaller, it’s a sign of the drought the Central Virginia saw this year.
Both pumpkin- and apple-picking season are well underway, and Nelson Garner, manager and owner of Gary’s Garden Center, said their pumpkins sold out quickly this year. The center tries to buy pumpkins as close to local as possible, including in Amherst and Campbell counties.
Still, the pumpkins from 2020 and 2021 are drastically different, he said: “Last year, because of the rain, the pumpkins were a lot larger, they grow a lot faster with all of that moisture. The problem being they had such a moisture content in them that they did not keep. There was a lot of disease and fungal problems with them.”
With it drier this year, Garner said the pumpkins don’t weigh as much and are not as large, but they’re keeping much better for people this year, he said.
Source: newsadvance.com
Photo source: Dreamstime.com
